My Year In The Grand West

A trip up the Niagara Escarpment with RWBro Mark Kapitan, GJW, on this Thursday, March 12, to visit Copestone Lodge 373 in Fonthill turned out to be our last - sadly - before all Masonic meetings were cancelled the next day due to the Corona Virus (COVID19) which has effectively shut down most of the world's public activities. On this evening, in fact the OV of RWBro John Newton, DDGM Niagara 'B', I was able to present the short article written by RWBro Wallace McLeod, when he chaired the Education Committee, titled The Banner of Grand Lodge. Joining us, much to my surprise, in lodge was one of my early mentors and inspirations, RWBro Alan Donovan. As an EA about 15 years ago, while he was DDGM, I had the pleasure of golfing one fine day with him - without knowing what titles really were - and he explained so many things of relevance over those 18 holes, and I went on to meet with him again and produce a promotional and informative video for the York Rite called Fervancy...

The Barton Lodge No 6 is celebrating a unique Masonic milestone this year, as they turn 225 years old, and if it were not for the COVID19 outbreak a few days after this meeting would have enjoyed a wonderful banquet, but on this evening the GJW and I were joined in lodge by the Grand Master, MWBro David Cameron, who had lived across the road from the candidate and watched him grow up, and who now watched him at his Initiation, proudly becoming a Mason. Congratulating the members this evening on joining "The 225 Club" were two members of The Ancient St John's Lodge No 3 who had both travelled from Kingston to enjoy the degree and education that was also provided. As written in an article entitled " Early History of Freemasonry in Upper Canada " by MWBro Freed, PGM, Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, who says: "The Barton Lodge, No.6 on the register of the Grand Lodge of Canada, was the ninth of those warranted by William Jarvis. Its cha...

Sandwiched in between a Scottish Rite meeting on Thursday evening, and a Heritage Lodge meeting on Saturday morning, was a visit to Georgina Lodge on the occasion of the Official Visit of the DDGM, RWBro Brainerd Blyden-Taylor. This was the week when RWBro Harold Clarke had finished the encasement of MWBro C. Edwin Drew's regalia and it had been mounted on the wall, above the organ in the temple. a fitting tribute to a wonderful man and inspirational leader. In addition to the many WMs from Toronto Humber Valley, joining me in the East was RWBro Mark Kapitan and RWBro Terry VanHorne. At the outset of the meeting, after the lodge had been duly opened and the brethren were called from labour to refreshment, I provided some Masonic Education - a piece on the use of threes in Freemasonry, and in life, or triads (versus dyads), the groupings of three and the concept of three. I believe it was well received, and generated further discussion. As a young Mason, I was signing the registe...

On this fine night, February 20, it was time to visit Whitby again and on the occasion of the Official Visit of the DDGM of Ontario District, RWBro Grant Parnell, to David T. Campbell Lodge, who were initiating a new brother into the Craft. And these lads were well practised; and we were treated to some Masonic Education as well. After a banquet (catered by the brethren of Composite Lodge) that featured the biggest ham steak I've ever eaten, WBro. Yuri Dimagiba led the brethren through a perfect degree that certainly put a smile on the face of the candidate for the evening, and practically left him speechless at the conclusion. WBro John Dean and I had a great conversation after lodge concerning the history of Whitby in general and the history of the lodge specifically. The original lodge room for Masons in Whitby was located at the "four corners" downtown and was later sold to a bank, which then enabled the purchase of land on Cocchrane Street, ust north of Dundas (...

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.

On Valentine's Day, the GJW and I traveled up to, first, Parry Sound, in order to check-in to our hotel, where we then changed and hit the road to continue our drive up to Sudury where we stopped at the Big Nickel (for a quick selfie) and then drove around the corner to meet the WM of Bethel Lodge 699, WBro Robert Tailleur, at Sizzle Mongolian Grill and then to the temple for their regular meeting. We were enthusiastically welcomed by the brethren, including the DDGM, RWBro Robert Lipic, and before going up to the 3rd, where I provided some Masonic Education by reading the article written by RWBro Wallace McLeod entitled The Banner of Grand Lodge, three officers were duly invested with their collars and a ballot was taken for a new applicant.  After lodge was closed, we enjoyed pie and ice cream downstairs, toasts and the wonderful traditional passing of the gavel so that each member in the room could be given the opportunity to speak and offer an enoyable, memorable or inspriat...

On this Wednesday evening, Jan 15, I drove down to Grimsby to meet RWBro Mark Kapitan at his home, and then together we travelled down the road to visit the brethren of Niagara Lodge No. 2 to watch a happy young man enjoy receiving his First Degree and become an Entered Apprentice - joining the other two EAs in the lodge on this evening. Prior to the lodge opening, being gratefully received and watching the ceremony, and as the members gathered, we took the time for a tour of the museum in the building, adorned with a lot of mementos and displaying the historic impact of its members over the 200+ years of activity in the community. The members of the lodge were well-practiced for the ceremony and certainly well-prepared for the evening, and deserved the accolades accorded them by the visiting DDGM and his District Secretary, and the Festive Board afterwards (downstairs in the Art Gallery) featured a wonderful pot of meatballs, accompanying friendly and informative conversat...

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 Friday night of December, together with RWBro Mark Kapitan, and joined in the East by RWBro Leyland Muss, Member of the Board, and RWBro Gil Carreiro, DDGM, we visited Wexford Lodge who were honouring two of their brethren: VWBro Royce Baker and WBro Ibrahim Washington - the latter received the lodge's Mason of the Year award, while the former was provided his regalia as Grand Steward. After the presentations were made, the lodge was duly closed by the WM, RWBro Gerry Newell, and all brethren then assembled in the banquet room, along with family members and friends, for a libation and their annual festive Christmas dinner, which included a visit from Santa, who helped to distribute the many presents to each member and sell raffle tickets for a pair of Albert Mackey's (quite old but exquisite, and expensive) encyclopaedias ,

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.

At their December meeting, the annual Installation and Investiture of the Officers of Ionic Lodge was a well-attended and, frankly, efficient meeting - and there were no Past Masters in the lineup. I had not visited this lodge, despite its proximity (meeting at the York Temple), since RWBro Art DiCecco was installed as Master quite a few years ago. Ionic Lodge No  is one of the oldest in Toronto. The history of the lodge, acccording to VWBro Paul Skazin, goes like this: on July 6, 1847, R.W. Bro. Allan Napier MacNab, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Canada West, Acting under Thomas Dundas, Earl of Zetland, Grand Master of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of England, granted his dispensation for the formation of "The Ionic Lodge," to meet in the City of Toronto. There were seventeen petitioners for the dispensation and were all members of St Andrew’s Lodge which up until then was the only Lodge in Toronto. The first meeting of...

I have known WBro Nitin Pande for only a few years - via King Cyrus Chapter, of which RWBro Al Dvorak is also a companion - and I had never visited Richardson Lodge prior. So it was quite a pleasure to sit in the West for the Installation of Nitin the other night and watch the smile grow wider, with great pride, at every turn in the ceremony. Impressed he was. It was also one of my first post-op visits with sidekick RWBro Mark Kapitan as well. Also in attendance was MWBro Terry Shand who pulled me aside afterward to note, privately, that I had made a small error in my work of the evening, which had made him smile, when I'd answered the WM when closing in the third by bluntly stating "No"to begin - though followed by the appropriate sentences - when asked if we had discovered anything. It was a moment that reminded me when I was a young EA and was signing the Tyler's Register at a lodge I was visiting with "Beaches Lodge" and MWBro C Edwin Drew, who was be...

Last night, my mother lodge, The Beaches Lodge No 473 held a wonderful reception for me at York Temple, and also invested VWBro Robert Jewell (who was at my initiation in 2005) with his regalia as Assistant Grand Organist. The lodge was opened at 7pm, and visitors were admitted shortly thereafter, and after being afforded Grand Honours, lodge was closed in order to bring in the guests of the evening, which included my wife, Arlene, and our sons William and Richard. My eldest son Eric was already in lodge as SW, and he welcomed Michaela to also sit in the North with their two children Olivia and Ayven.  Several of my brethren in lodge were asked to provide a synopsis of their relationship with me and share a few of their experiences along the way. WBro Christian Giles spoke about our first day in lodge, and some of our subsequent ventures around the world, and the impact of Freemasonry we have enjoyed together, WBro Russ Richardson regaled us with stories from our days in the mus...

On Monday, July 22, I (along with Christian Giles, PM, The Beaches Lodge and Eric Boyce, SW, The Beaches Lodge) travelled to Brampton to attend a banquet and an emergent meeting of Chinguacousy Lodge No. 738 - called "Grand Lodge Night", an annual event. The guest speaker was Right Worshipful Brother Skip Whiteley, who was initiated into our gentle craft in 1967, was installed in the chair of King Solomon in Zetland Lodge in 1978, and in 1982 was elected District Deputy Grand Master. I met RWBro Whiteley when I joined the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite in the Valley of Toronto. By then he had already been coroneted honourary Inspector General 33°, Supreme Council of Canada, in 1992 and was elected - at the 133rd annual session of Supreme Council held in Ottawa in 2007 - Sovereign Grand Inspector General 33° and remains to this day an active member of the Scottish Rite. In addition to many committees, he has served 9 years on the board of the Masonic Foundation of On...