My Year In The Grand West

This was indeed an entertaining visit to Beach Lodge 639 - the home lodge of our GJW, RWBro Mark Kapitan - on the occasion of the Official Visit of RWBro Scott Laing, DDGM of Hamilton 'A'.  Following an excellent banquet, featuring roast beef, and an array of toasts, including a rousing and very traditional JW Toast given by our GJW, we were then ceremoniously ushered into the lodge room and witnessed a 2nd degree conferred most efficiently by the upstanding brethren, on behalf of Tuscon Lodge, who provided the candidate for the evening. There is a wonderfully written article to be found online with respect to the history of Beach Lodge, and here are a few quotes that are relevant to maintaining tradition, in terms of how we do it: 1) Growing up "down there" couldn't help but make you independent. We did it our way. As a community we no doubt raised the hackles of the powers that be in some quarters. So be it. The Beach, long ignored, now became a sought afte...

I was invited to visit Beach Lodge No 639 by my travelling sidekick, our GJW, RWBro Mark Kapitan, and on this evening at the temple in Stoney Creek the brethren were initiating a new member. It was an evening to sit back and enjoy the show. Beach Lodge has a storied history (as - come to think of it - most lodges do) and I presented the lapel pin to the candidate at the conclusion of the degree, and adorning the pin centrally beneath the S&C is a lighthouse, a reminder of their humble beginnings, meeting originally on the strip of beach adjacent to the waterfront. Very active in the district and vibrant, next month the lodge will initiate another Mason, albeit in their new home in Burlington. As was pointed out to me by the GJW, "The Strip was called Burlington Beach back then yet was still in the Hamilton Masonic Districts. We moved from the Beach Blvd in 1971 and went to the Building on Brant Street for 10 years having many PM's still involved from both moves. Then, ...