My Year In The Grand West

After Valentine's Day, on Saturday, February 15, the GJW and I drove from Parry Sound, where we had stayed after visiting the brethren of Bethel Lodge the night before, and drove to Peterbough for the OV of RWBro Tom Mortlock at Corinthian Lodge 101 and then enjoyed the passing of a well-prepared candidate (after a hearty meal and toasts downstairs), who was guided by the SD, Bro Danny McLaughlin. The degree was expertly led by the WM, and each part perfetly executed by the young officer team in the chairs, ably assisted by their PMs. Also attending were five WMs from local lodges in Peterborough District, as well as RWBro Tom Haight and VWBro Walter Howell, Grand Standard Bearer.

This was one of my first daytime lodges, and certainly my first not only held in the morning but in a morning suit (courtesy of RWBro Peter Sialtsis), and at this meeting, which was the annual Installation and Investiture of Officers of Corinthian Lodge 330, I first met RWBro Mark Kapitan in Aldershot and then together we drove to London for a 10am opening, with current Grand Chaplain RWBro Tom Haight sitting at the Secretary's desk; also joining us was RWBro Roy Hardy, the Grand Registrar, in the beautiful Blue Room at the Dufferin Temple. Online it is stated that Corinthian Lodge No. 330 enjoys a lengthy history that is intertwined locally  with Middlesex County that had voted for the incorporation of London East as a Village in May, 1874, with Adelaide Street being the dividing line between London and London East. (Lilleys Corners was the Post Office up to this time, located at the corner of Dundas and Adelaide Streets. This building was erected in 1867, and is still standin...

On this first Thursday in December, I, along with RWBro Mark Kapitan, RWBro Tom Haight and RWBro Roy Hardy, met at King City to then travel together up the 400 and visit Corinthian Lodge No 96 in Barrie. We sat in our respective chairs and took the lodge up to the 2nd and then the 3rd, and back down again to close. While open in each degree, a piece of Masonic education was delivered, and while in the 3rd, a well-mentored MM proved himself flawlessly. There was no degree work, no installation or investiture, but a simple meeting planned and run by WBro Garry Perkins that was a pleasure to attend - and the room was filled with Masons from across the District... not to mention Grand Lodge officers.

On this evening I proudly sat in the West for the Installation and Investiture of the Officers at Corinthian Lodge 481 in Newmarket, and GJW sat in the South - and it was not snowing when I left tobegin my drive ut it was snowing when I returned, a first snowfall of the year, and this was also to be the last night when I used the borrowed regalia of RWBro Mel Duke. After being duly invested I welcomed the new SW into his chair or a well-deserved 'rest in the west'. At the head table, I sat next to the WM - soon to be IPM - who told me of a few intriguing books he had read recently, which drew the parallels etween the Craft and Alchemy. It was an enlightening discussion and reminded me of what I had heard years prior when visiting a Rosicrucian meeting. Per their website: Corinthian Lodge No. 481 G.R.C. celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 2007, having been inaugurated on 10 January 1907. The details are not clear, but it seems that the lodge came about as a result of some s...