FRIENDLY SOCIETIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 120, 17 November 1937, Page 21

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES

SOME RECENT MEETINGS

1.0.0. F., N.Z,

The most important meeting or:,the I O 0.F., N.Z., during the. past lew weeks has been the meeting of_-Dis-trict Lodge, over which Bro. R. V. Mathers presided. Challenges were received from- Southern Cross and Ngatitoa Lodges for the district indoor bowls trophy, and • from Cleveland ! Lodge for the district cribbage shield. IA dispensary circular directed atten- | tion to the necessity, owing to the extended schedule of poisons,. to repeat prescriptions containing scheduled ! poisons being signed by a: doctor. The quarterly circular of Grand Lodge re-. t corded visits of the Grand Master (Bro. H. J. Clark, of Timaru) to Welilington, Feilding, Wanganui, Hawera, and Levin, in October, where success-, iful gatherings eventuated. A new, 1 Rebekah Lodge was opened at Te Kauwhata on August 18, and a new male lodge at Te Aroha on September 23. Friendly societies' statistics . ..were : \ quoted from the report of the Registrar of Friendly Societies. The; so-, ciety's benefit membership increase for 1936 was 4.7 per cent., or .13.51. per cent, of the total increase of al the societies, During October District Lodge officers conducted the haliyearly installation of officers in Southern Cross, Zealandia, Cleveland, Wildey, Maraenui, Otaki, Ngatitoa, Kupe, Onslow, Pride of Karon, and Wellesley Juvenile Lodges. The district official handbook committee _was reappointed, and a meeting of delegates is to be convened to arrange lor the combined, city and suburban annual picnic. ..': . .• Amehdrnents to the constitution o Grand Lodge ,and. rulings adopted at the last session are to be issued shortly, and arrangements have been made for paying from ■ surplus funds a portion of sick and funeral dues from April 1 of all members 65 years of age or as- they reach 65 years. . . , During October, the Lady District Deputy Grand Master (Sis. N. Torkington) installed the. officers of Victoi\a, Esther, Rose of Wellington, Rahiri, Iti (Otaki), Ngaio, and Hiwa Rebekah Lodges. In the Hutt Valley district officers for the current half-year of Heretaunga Bellevue, Waiwhetu, Ngati-awa, O-kiwi-Iti Rebekah, Star of Petone, Rebekah, and Lily of Valley Rebekah Lodges were installed by Bro. R. Delaney, D.D.G.M. • " On October 23 a reception was tendered by city and suburban members to the Grand Master, Bro. H. J. Clark, under the auspices of Wellington Dis-; trict Lodge and the Past Noble Grands' Association. The Grafid Master was introduced by the Deputy Grand Master (Bro. G. F. Rudkin) and received by the District Deputy Grand Masters',(Bros. E. D. Wallis, Wellington, and H. H. Delaney, Hutt Valley), the Lady District Deputy Grand Master (Sis. N. Torkington), and a large gathering of local members. During the evening the Grand Master delivered .a short address, and on bshalf of District Lodge presented Bro. W:. H. Munro with a past degree master's jewel, Sisters M. Sereent and P. Daggar with senior and junior ritual jewels, Sis. M. Quayle with a P.N.G. collar on behalf of Rahiri Rebekah Lodge, Bro. E. G. Miller with a P.G Jewel, and Bros. C. Quinn and J. P. Salmond with P.G. diplomas. Bro. H. A. Hardham acted as M.C. ' After: its recent meeting, Victoria Rebekah Lodge, Newtown; held a successful "vice versa" dance. . At the recent meeting of Wildey Lodge, Island Bay,- two candidates were nominated, and the art union for the Christmas Tree funds was di'awn,:" ...,■.. "At the recent meeting of Onslow Lodge, Khandallah, the D.D.G.M. ißro. E. D. WalWs)' presented Bro.^C. .E. .Grayndler-i with a bar to his ritual -jewel recording his recent winning of the senior ritual competition conducted by District Lodge. The Deputy Grand Master (Bro. G. F. Rudkin) ■presented^Bro. A. J. Hc-H<r**r -with-xt-P.G. collar and Bros. A. E. Hodgson and C. E. Grayndler With P.G. diplomas on behalf of the lodge. Port Nicholson Encampment exalted three members to the Royal Purple degree, and conducted a degree and installation practice prior tp proceeding to Palmerston North to confer the R.P.'-.-degree afid install the officers Of United Encampment.

ORDER OF FORESTERS.

At the recent meeting of Court Northland there was a good attendance. The meeting supported the nomination of Bro. T. M. V. Beddingfield for the office of district secretary rendered vacant by the death of Bro. A. W: O. Travers.

Many years ago Sir George Grey presented a chief ranger's chair to the Order 6f Foresters, and it has been used by Court; Northland for many years. It had fallen-into disrepair with the passage of-years,1 but has now been restored to good .condition by Bro. G. G. Watson- to whom a vote, of thanks was tendered at the recent meeting of- CouH N0rth1and......•,--; V-; Oth^r lodges of;the order; v^hich met in October include^ Courts SirWilliam Jervois, Sir Georgel Grey, and Lady Glasgow. :•-■- '■". ".- " - The District Chief Ranger,-Bro! San^ vie, accompanied by several district officers, has visited Courts Sir William Jervois, Northland, and Lady Glasgow In the past month. Bro. Guiding, of Eketahuna; has been visiting courts in the district recently. Three nominations have been . received for the office of district secretary, as follows:—Bros. T. Beddingfield, A, Hepburn, and L. Lightfc*>t.

SONS OF TEMPERANCE.

Three adults and six juveniles were installed at the recent meeting of Advance Division. The recess was devoted to an entertainment by juvenile members.

MANCHESTER UNITY ODDFELLOWS.

The following lodges of the order oi Manchester Unity Oddfellows met duping October:—Rose of Sharon (Upper Hutt), Sister Wallis, Antipodean, Rose of the Valley (Lower Hutt), Petone, and Eketahuna Lodges. Rose of Sharon initiated.two honorary members, and Sister Wallis Lodge accepted one sister on clearance, . Sister Whitfield, of Rose of Sharon Lodge, obtained the highest marks for immediate past Noble Grand at the recent cbmpetition, her lodge deciding to present, her with a past grand's jewel to mark the event.

Sister Bentley, of Rose of the Valley Lodge, won:the Reg. Bell merit jewel at the recent competition, her lodge winning the Past Grand Ritual Shield. Petone Lodge has decided to hold a Christmas tree function on December 20.

Two rinks of indoor bowls from Petone Lodge visited Palmerston North recently, both being defeated in the matches played.- ■ ■ The fiftieth anniversary of Eketahuna Lodge was celebrated recently. At the special meeting held to mark the occasion speeches were given by several pioneer members. The : Mayor of Eketahuna added his congratulations on the jubilee of the lodge. -Tea was served at: the conclusion of the afternoon meeting,, and in the evening a dinner was held, at which about a hundred members of the order were present. Later a jubilee ball was held, at which there was a very large attendance.-

ORDER OF DRUIDS,

Bro. H. J. Humphries, of the Royal Arch Chapter, paid an official visit to Pride of Brooklyn Lodge's recent meeting. The Royal Arch Druid, Bro. H. Willis, presented the Mollison Efficiency Shield to the lodge, and congratulated the A.D. and his officers oh their efficiency. ■

ORANGE INSTITUTION,

The November celebrations observed annually by members;, of the Orange Institution throughout the Englishspeaking world were- marked in Wellington by special gatherings. At St. Giles's Presbyterian- Church, Kilbirnie, under the auspices of District Orange Lodge No. 1, members of city and suburban lodges attended service. The minister, the Rev. E. J. Orange, welcomed the visitors, expressing his pleasure- at the large attendance. He selected his text from Galatians 6:1, "Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free," the preacher taking as his theme, "Why we are Protestants."

Meetings were held recently of Boys' Lodge No. 1, and Lodges Nos. 66,

87, and 121. Several candidates were I initiated.

Bro. E. W. Heath, superintendent of the -Boys' Lodge, retired recently and was made a presentation to mark his services to the lodge.

.:. Master and officers were installed at the recent meeting of Lodge No. 66 held at Brooklyn. The District Master carried out the installation, fulfilling similar duties at.the recent meeting of Lodge No. 87.