ODDFELLOWS

Evening Star, Issue 20019, 9 November 1928, Page 11

ODDFELLOWS

SIXTY YEARS SYNE. It is over sixty years since Leith Lodge, i.0.0.E., was established at Albany Street Hall. Lust Monday was chosen to recall early history sixty years back hy holding a veterans’, night. There were present by invitation representative of the parent lodge,.-Pioneer No. 1,. together with some visiting veterans from sister lodges—veterans who had taken part in the work of the order lor a continuous term of twenty-live years or more. These were seated right across the hall in front of the platform, and made a brave show, each wearing a veteran’s jewel. Bro. D. M. Miller, Past Grand Master, occupied the chair by request, and welcomed those who had toiled through the heat ol many summers and the cold of severe winters to promote the welfare of the order. He was supported on the platform hy the Grand B. of Australasia (Bro. L. D. Ritchie), P.G.M. Bro. A. H. Valentine, Past D.D.G.M. Bro. H. Johnson, and the N.G. of Leith Lodge (Bro. C. Bingham). Bro. Miller pictui’ed as best he could from the written record the position of the lodge and the order sixty years ago. In those days the order ui New Zealand was small. Yet the brethren ol those days laid the louiidation ol succcssiul institutions. He named prominent members of the 'sixties and ’seventies who had gone to rest. A few of the ’seventies were still with them.

The inquiry as to who could now claim to bo the oldest member oi the lodge was answered by naming Bros. R. Randk; and Ric. Trotizc, both having joined in June, 1876. Reference was made lo the charter being almost unique in that there were only three of these; it was one of three existing that were issued by the Grand L.)dge of Victoria prior to there being a Grand Lodge of New Zealand, it was dated November, 1867, but the provisional charter was dated October 7 oi that year, and the lodge opened on October 14 at the Water of Leith Hotel. Sixty years ago the membership of the lodge was but twenty. It possessed as many pounds sterling as it had members, and had debts quite cquai to the number of pounds it held. The whole order in New Zealand then was comprised in seven lodges, having a membership of approximately 320, with- a capital of £500; while to-day in New Zealand the membership is counted by thousands, with a capital of a quarter of a million.

The date of this meeting being November 6. reference was made to Guy Fawkes Day. Old members recollected the celebrations in the Old Country. Curiously enough, Guy Fawkes cere monies still survive, though there is reason to remember the sth of No vember by other .events—for instance, the revolutionary landing of William Ilf. at Torbay and the victory at) inkerniau (Crimea). .The foljowing-veteran members gavi reminiscences;-—Bros. George Black Walt. Smith, A. H. Valentine, W. Kilpatrick, 1).. Swinton, F. M'Arthur, and G. Anderson ; Light refreshment wa served before the brethren dispersed.