The History of Nickel Lodge No. 427 - October 1991 to · PDF fileBro. Eric Benedict led his team in the initiation of Mr. Rodney P. O'Connor. In December, Bro. Oliver Coley was presented

The History of Nickel Lodge No. 427 – October 1991 to Present

1

EXCERPT FROM-

M.W. Bro. Norman E. Byrne,

Grand Master's address atGrand Lodge 1992 "I was

pleased to assist in the

rededication of Nickel Lodge

No. 427, at Sudbury, and thededication of new golden

trimmed regalia in October

1991.

The celebration wasexceptionally well planned and

will serve as a bench mark for

other lodges as they approach

this Masonic landmark. r ampleased to see this

distinguished lodge wearing

regalia and insignia trimmed or

plated in gold finish asrecognition for having attained

100 years of active service.

Congratulations. "

R.J. Fontaine 1991

In the foyer of the Belrock

Masonic Centre, will be foundthe Nickel Lodge Centennial

Plaque. In the afternoon of the

rededication, M.W. Bro. Byrne

unveiled this plaque and it wasdedicated by W. Bro. Eric T.

Benedict Nickel Lodge's

Chaplain. Numerous items of

regalia were donated to theLodge by it's members, fellow

Masons, other Craft Lodges and

other Masonic bodies. W. Bro.

Robert Jacques Fontainerecognized certain individuals

who had contributed so much to

"The Lodge", who had recently

passed away and who hadlooked forward to the

Celebration on October 19th

1991. He recognized those that

had contributed so much eachday, especially Bro. Lloyd

MacTagart, Secretary who

devoted so much of his waking

hours to Nickel Lodge."However the future and history

hold great deal of gold for

Nickel Lodge in men who are

making tomorrow's historyto-day." At the Past Master's

Night-V.W. Bro. John J. Gilpin,

on behalf of his brother- W.

Bro. Roy Gilpin, presented the

Lodge with the door-knocker

from 10 Cedar Street, which hadbeen the home for Nickel Lodge

for many years leading up to

1973. At this Past Masters Night

in November 1991, the oldpractice of having a venison

dinner was resurrected. In

recognition of his failing

health and that he had given somuch to Masonry, the Grand

Master appointed W. Bro.

Finlay Gordon Macleod, a

Grand Steward with theaccompanying title of Very

Worshipful. Bro. Macleod

passed to the Grand Lodge

Above a few day later.Approximately 111 members

attended his Masonic Memorial

Service. Bro. Macleod, who had

designed the Nickel LodgeTartan, was subsequently

thanked for his gift of a Nickel

Lodge Tartan scarf by the Prince

and Princess of Wales. V.W.Bro. S.A. (Art) H. Cressey was

recognized for being appointed

as Ambassador Emeritus of the

Sudbury Shrine Club. Only thefourth such designation in

Ontario. Personalized licence

plates became . available in

Ontario in the 1980's. Much tothe chagrin of many Nobles in

the province, Noble Cressey

quickly took action and obtain

the plates "Shriner". Thepractice of presenting Nickel

Lodge Bursaries in the amount

of $427.00 each, to two students

at Laurentian University and

Cambrian College was

commenced. The Official Visit

of R.W. Bro. J. David Innes was

in March when he witnessed the

Initiation of Mr. Joseph Richard

Rodak. W. Bro. Fontaine having

served as Worshipful Master for

sixteen months, was allowed to

retire when ...


2

S. Ellor 1992

Bro. Squire Ellor became the

first Worshipful Master of the

second One Hundred Years ofNickel Lodge on May 6th 1992

and was installed by W. Bro.

William B. Walker. The

principal officers passed theirlapel pins to their respective

successors. Brethren from

Keystone Lodge No. 412 inSault Ste. Marie initiated Mr.

David Derek Hartzberg on May

23'd. At the September meeting;

having completed the duties asDistrict Secretary with the

passing of V.W. Bro. Macleod,

W. Bro. Fred Bright was

invested as a Grand Steward.V.W. Bro. S.A.H. Cressey was

presented with his sixty year

membership pin that evening.

The Annual Lodge MemorialService was held in December in

memory of the passing of

Brethren in the past year. The

Worshipful Master conductedthe service and sang the hymn-

The Lord is My Shepherd. In

January: Friendship Lodge No.

691 attended to complete the32nd Annual Reciprocal

Visitation and passed Bro.

David Derek Hartzberg to the

Fellowcraft Degree. The OfficialVisit of R.W. Bro. Donald E.

Belfry was in March, at which

time Mr. David Arthur Fowlerwas initiated into Masonry. In

April, the Ontario Provincial

Police No. 13 District

Masonic Degree Team under theleadership of W. Bro. Robert

South, initiated Mr. Brian

Frederick Foreshew (a fellow

officer).

R.J. Fleming 1993

Bro. Robert James Fleming wasinstalled as the Worshipful

Master in May 51h 1993 by W.

Bro. Russell A. Dever. On May191h a Masonic Degree Team

from the Sudbury Shrine Club

initiated Mr. Derrick Eliot

Greasley. In October,Friendship Lodge attended for

the second half of the

33rd Annual Reciprocal

Visitation and initiated Mr. RoyJoeveer. In December, the

Memorial Service was delayed

due to the guest speaker

attempting to gain entrance atthe back door of the Centre. The

Shrine Choir entertained the

members and guests during the

wait. The Worshipful Masterconducted the service in

memory of those Brethren who

had passed to the

Grand Lodge Above, in the pastyear. A $5000.00 donation was

made towards the Sudbury

Memorial Hospital campaign to

raise funds for Cardio Thoracic

and High Risk General Surgicalequipment. The Official Visit of

R.W. Bro. Robert South was the

occasion to observe the passing

of Bros. Brian Foreshew andAlbert Stonier to the Fellowcraft

Degree.

M.J. Fleming 1994

Bro. Milton James Fleming wasinstalled as the Worshipful

Master on May 41h 1994 by W.Bro. Robert J. Fleming. W. Bro.

Robert J. Fleming presented his

father, with a gavel made by

R.W. Bro. Alex Gray. Membersgathered for a Bar-B-Q at the

home of R.W. Bro. J. David

Innes in July. R.W. Bro. Ronald

Zinkie, D.D.G.M. attended theSeptember meeting and

presented the Lodge with a

plaque from the Grand Lodge

Committee on Communications,in recognition of their 3rd place

finish for the Lodge summons

the previous year. He also

presented W. Bro. RJ. Flemingwith a plaque to recognize his

200 donations of blood. W. Bro.

Robert E. Bryson was

recognized for his 50 years ofservice to Masonry. Following a

venison dinner at the Past

Master's Night in November, W.

Bro. Don McPhail led his teamin the Initiation of Mr. Clive

David Stephenson. In


3

December, the Annual Lodge

Memorial Service was con-ducted under the direction of the

Worshipful Master. In January,

the Worshipful Master

welcomed Bro. DonaldMacKinnon from Scotland and

his son, Bro. John MacKinnon

from Australia. They had not sat

in Lodge together for manyyears. R.W. Bro. Ronald S.

Zinkie attended for his Official

Visit to view the Initiation of

Mr. Nigel Leigh.

R.C.N. Kemp 1995

Bro. Robert Christopher Neville

Kemp was installed as the

Worshipful Master on May 3rd

1995 by W. Bro. Russell A.

Dever. Bro. George Fleming

was presented with his 50 year

pin in June and it wasacknowledged that a more

deserving recipient would be

very hard to find. Plans

for the Lodge's Annual Bar-B-Qin July (weather permitting)

included "Bring your own fire

extinguisher." In September, W.

Bro. Ronald Eveson Sr.,attended with his team from

Friendship Lodge for the

Recipricol Visit and conducted

the initiation of Mr. RobertCross. At the Past Master's

Night in November, V.W. Bro.

Frederick W. Bright led his team

in the exemplification of the first

degree with Bro. Michael

Dowling as the candidate. TheAnnual Lodge Memorial Service

was conducted under the

direction of the Worshipful

Master.Bro. Gerry Lougheed Jr.,presented an address. In March,

R.W. Bro. William P. Clark

attended to observe the Raising

of Bro. Paavo Eric Liukko.

K.G.Alexander 1996

Bro. Kenneth George Alexanderwas installed as the Worshipful

Master on May 1 st 1996 by W.

Bro. Robert J. Fontaine. In July,

a work retreat and golfing washosted by W. Bro. Robert

Fontaine at his cottage. October

was Past Master's Night and W.

Bro. Eric Benedict led his teamin the initiation of Mr. Rodney

P. O'Connor. In December, Bro.

Oliver Coley was presented with

his 50 year pin. He had been ahigh school shop teacher for

many members, assisted

students with their lessons and

was loved by all who knew him.On January HI", a team from

Nickel Lodge led by the

Worshipful Master, took

advantage of the 1st Wednesdayfalling on New Years Day, and

attended Espanola Lodge No.

527 and performed the 3rd

degree. The two Lodges bothmeet on the 1sl Wednesday, and

as Friendship Lodge occupied

Belrock on the 2nd Wednesday,

thereby the Lodge's Regular is

held on the 3'" Wednesday. InJanuary, W. Bro. Ray Barlow

attended with his team from

Friendship Lodge for the

Initiation of Mr. BernardAndrews. The Official Visit of

R.W. Bro. Don Rousell was the

occasion to observe the raising

of Bro. Beaumont Nelson.

for the

J.D. Horace 1997

Bro. John Doumergue Horace

was installed as the WorshipfulMaster on May 71"1997 by R.W.

Bro. J. David Innes. In June,

communication was received to

accept a condominiumagreement with the Sudbury

Shrine Club and that The

Belrock Temple Corporation

attempt to acquire an additionaleasement(s) from The Sudbury

Memorial Hospital for access

purposes for the present facility.

In 2008 and 2009, these matterswere still being discussed. The

Lodge Bar-B-Q was again held

at the home of R.W. Bro. David

Innes. Apparently the hosteventually provided a humorous

explanation as to his attire at the

event! In November, W. Bro.

Ross King attended with histeam from Friendship Lodge for

the passing of Bro. Reijo Luoma


4

to the Fellowcraft Degree. In the

banquet room that evening,W.Bro. Squire Ellor was present

to enjoy the infamous Nickel

Lodge egg salad sandwiches as

well as a display of othersandwiches and desserts. (I don't

think W. Bro. Ellor likes egg

salad sandwiches.) In

November, the members weretreated to well received Masonic

education presentations with

regards to the "Charge to the

newly initiated candidate" byBro. Greg Newson and "other

Grand Lodges" by Bro. Robert

Storie. In February 1998, the

Retired Officers Police DegreeTeam attended and made

the Worshipful Master an

"Honorary Retired Police

Officer, so that he would bemore relaxed" while they

initiated Mr. George Nichols

into Masonry. When they were

completed their· work, theyrelieved the Master of his

honorary status. At the

Emergent Meeting that month,

V.W. Bro. Vilho Koivu attendedwith his Scottish Rite Lodge of

Perfection Degree Team and

initiated Mr. Pertti Juusela.

R.W. Bro. Ronald C. Eveson Jr.,attended on the occasion of his

Official Visit for the raising of

Bro. Reijo Luoma. At the March

Committee of General PurposesMeeting, R.W. Bro. J. David

Innes presented a motion that

the members boy-cott Bro.

Robert Storie's Step-up-Night.He then withdrew the motion.

R.J. Storie 1998

Bro. Robert James Storie wasinstalled as the Worshipful

Master on May 6'h 1998 by W.

Bro. Eric T. Benedict. On behalfof Bro. George Fleming, he was

presented with a gavel which

had belonged to W. Bro. Norm

Harper. Brass plates engravedwith the names of Bros. Harper

and Storie and their respective

years were attached. Embedded

into the other end was theLodge's Centennial pin. W. Bro.

Storie was invested with the

Master's apron which was

donated by V.W. Bro. John J.Gilpin on behalf of the late W.

Bro. Roy Gilpin. W. Bro.

Russell Dever led his team of

Past Masters in the initiation ofMr. Charles F. Jireada. In

October, W. Bro. Storie led a

contingent of the Brethren from

Nickel and Friendship Lodges toNorth Star Lodge in Owen

Sound (former home of W. Bro.

Eric Benedict) and conferred the

Fellowcraft Degree on amember of that Lodge. In

November, W. Bro. Glen Smith


Friendship Lodge for thepassing of their member, Bro .

Brian Falter. At the Annual

Memorial Night in December,

the members and visitorsrecognized the "Passing to the

Grand Lodge Above" of eight

members and the passing of thewives of two members. R.W.

Bro. Brian Koivu on the

occasion of his Official Visit

witnessed the raising of Bro.David Kennedy and then

assisted the Worshipful Master

in presenting V.W. Bro. John

Gilpin with his 50 yearmembership pin.

M.A. Dowling 1999

Bro. Michael Anthony Dowling

was installed as the WorshipfulMaster on May S'h 1999 by W.

Bro. Eric T. Benedict. At the

Past Master's Night in October,

W. Bro. Sqire Ellor acceptedthe gavel to conduct the raising

of Bro. Joel Mackey. Prior to

the meeting, Bro. Junior

Warden and his faithful side-kick - Bro. Reijo Luoma served

a meal of exquisite

craftsmanship with crispy

greens, lasagna, juicy tenderchicken and heart warming

meat balls, a choice of

deserts, and some fire-breathing

Italian sausages. In November,W. Bro. Robert Fleming gave a

most informative presentation

on the Brother-2-Brother Pro-

gramme. The December meetingwas held on the third

Wednesday so that members of

Nickel Lodge would be able to


5

attend the D.D.G.M.'s Official

Visit at Espanola Lodge. It wasreported that the Lodge's Altar;

which had been used at 10

Cedar Street (the previous home

for the Lodge), was going to bedonated to Elliot Lake Lodge. In

January, W. Bro. Gary Fortin

led his team from Friendship

Lodge to initiate Mr. Randy N.Koski. On Step-up-Night, Bro.

Greg Newson and his team

initiated Mr. Brian Howe. R.W.

Bro. Ricahrd Nanka Bruceattended for his Official Visit to

witness the initiation of Mr.

Timothy Roulston. Motions

presented by the Temple Boardwere considered with regards to

making the building: "Non-

smoking"; that work be done to

beautify the Lodge Room alongwith financial support from the

lodges and concordant bodies.

G.L. Newson 2000

Bro. Gregory Lynd Newson wasinstalled as the Worshipful

Master on May 3rd 2000 by

R.W. Bro. Robert South. W.

Bro. Raymond SJ. Daniels of

New Hope Lodge No. 279 inCambridge Ontario (and who

would be elected Deputy Grand

Master of our Grand Lodge in

2007) was in attendance. TheLodge held their Annual Lodge

Picnic at the home of R.W. Bro.

David Innes on the shores of

MacFarlane Lake in August.Discussion with regards to a

sound system for the Lodge

Room took place. The Lodge

sponsored the Grand Lodge-Lodge of Instruction for the

District. The Worshipful Master

presented Masonic Education

pertaining to the MemorialService held at the funeral home,

followed by a question and

answer period. Three un-

answered questions would bepresented to M.W. Bro. C.Edwin

Drew, Custodian of the Work.

Bro. Al Stonier had the picture

of V.W. Bro. Greg Roy; whohad been the Lodge's Secretary

for many years, re-rnatted. He

would have many other photos

re-stored in a similar manner. Atthe Past Master's Night in

October, W. Bro. Robert

Fleming led his team of Past

Masters in the passing ofBro. Jose Garcia. The Lodge

made a donation of $500.00 to

show their support for the work

being done by the LodgeBeautification Committee. In

November, W. Bro. Wah Chung


Friendship Lodge on theoccasion of the 40lh Annual

Reciprocal Visit to pass Bro.

Pertii Juusela to the Fellowcraft

Degree. The anti-room to theLodge Banquet Room was

designated as the smoking area.

Pastor Perry Chuipka, the son of

Bro. Lome Chuipka conductedthe Annual Memorial Service in

December wherein the members

and guests recognized the

passing of eight members of the

Lodge to the Grand LodgeAbove. In February, W. Bro.

Claude Gervais led a team from

Bethel Lodge No. 699 and

exemplified a 3rd Degree on Bro.Barry Greasley, as the scheduled

candidate was not available.

Bro. Brian Howe was the

candidate for theexemplifi-cation of the second degree for

R.W. Bro. Rudolph Mulack's

Official Visit. Assisted by R.W.

Bro. David Innes, he presentedBro. Howard Jones with his 60

year membership pin on May

2"d 2001.

The emblem below was createdby Bro. Newson.


6

B.W. Greasley 2001

Bro. Barry Wayne Greasley wasinstalled as the Worshipful

Master on May 2"d 2001 by W.

Bro. Jervis Weir. In September,

R.W. Bro. Innes enlightened theBrethren as to why Nickel

Lodge never has "Unfinished

Business". The members always

complete their business. On oneoccasion a Brother thought some

business had been left

unfinished; but, after some

discussion, it was determinedthat matter had been completed.

Bro. Junior Warden, Bro. Grant

Boyce informed the members,

that his wife Joanne hadprepared chili [or the evening

Repast. They had just bought a

new stove and she told him not

to touch it. He did, and he burntthe chili. He then announced that

his "best-friend Wendy"

(Wendy's Restaurant, that is)

supplied the evening chili. InOctober, W. Bro. Robert Storie

reported, that he, W. Bro.

Eric Benedict and R.W. Bro.

Robert South (the Lodge'sSecretary) had done some house

cleaning. He became known as

"pitch" for trying to throw stuffout, Bro. Benedict became

known as "the keeper" and Bro.

South as "the mediator". Part of

the find was one and half boxesof forgotten "Nickel Lodge

Centennial Coffee Cups".

Members present could haveone, after the close of Lodge and

the balance would be donated to

the coffee club, being started by

V.W. Bro. Keith Jordan. Thiswas the start of "JAVA

GUILD". Bro. Grant Boyce

reported he, that afternoon, had

received information that aBrother from a Lodge in Barrie

was in need of an ambulance

ride to and from the hospital

next day. The cost would be$90.00, which the Brother's wife

did not have. During the "Call-

Off", Bro. Marven Firth

collected $90.00 from theBrethren present which was

presented to the widow. This

was Past Masters Night, and a

team led by W. Bro. MiltFleming, initiated Mr. Maurice

Randolph Gillard. In November,

the 41'1 Annual Reciprocal Visit

of Friendship Lodge was heldwith W. Bro. David Kelly

presiding over his team on the

occasion of the initiation of Mr.

Marvin Leonard Nelson. As aresult of a "Consultation Report"

presented by Bro. Grant Boyce,

the Lodge adopted a policy that

should a Brother need to leavethe Lodge in an emergency, he

should do so without ceremony

and should a Brother have

difficulty standing, he shouldremain seated. At the March-

Committee of General Purposes

Meeting, the Committee learned

that the Temple Board hadapproved the expenditure for a

sound system and that the

bathroom on the banquet room

level would be completed soon.In February, a Brother from

Wennington Lodge of the

United Grand Lodge of England

made a visit. R.W. Bro. DavidA. Salter had his Official Visit

when Mr. Scott Bradley Nairn

was initiated.

G.E. Boyce 2002

Bro. Grant Erwin Boyce was

installed as the WorshipfulMaster on May 1st 2002 by

R.W. Bro. J. David Innes. In

attendance was R.W. Bro. Allan

J. Petrisor, who would becomeDeputy Grand Master in 2005.

In June, Bro. Oliver Coley sat in

the East with his son, W. Bro.

Doug Coley who visiting himfrom Saskatchewan. In pre-

paration for evening in which

V.W. Bro. John J. Gilpin would

become an honourary lifemember of Friendship Lodge,

the members approved the

purchase of an Altar Cloth for

that Lodge. In September, W.Bro. Robert Fleming was

recognized "for outstanding

service to Scouting", "not

merely the faithful performanceof duties attached to the office

or position", when he was

presented with "The Medal

of Good Merit". At theEmergent Meeting that month,

W. Bro. Allan Burns led a team

of Masons from the Sudbury

Shrine Club when they initiatedMr. Paul Robert Campbell. In

November, members of Gothic

Lodge No. 608 in Lindsay raised

Bro. Paul Ruff Jr. The Lodgedonated $1000.00 to Project

204. This was a smoke-free, two


7

bedroom apartment at Belrock

which was available at no cost,to any out of town member of

the Masonic Fraternity, who

needed a place to stay when they

or a loved one were in a localhospital or at the Northern

Cancer Treatment Centre. The

practice of having the Minutes

of Lodge Meetings and theReport of the Committee of

General Purposes Meeting

printed and circulated by e-mail;

so members may read them priorto the Regular Meeting, was

commenced. In December, up-

dated By-laws were passed by

the members. In recognition ofthe outstanding contributions by

Bro. Marven Firth to Masonry

and his community, a motion

was passed to grant an HonoraryLife Membership in the Lodge.

R.W. Bro. James Thomson

attended on the occasion of his

Official Visit to witness theraising of Bro. James Gies. Bro.

Thomson informed the Brethren

that though it was known that

Friendship Lodge had erectedthe sign outside the front door, it

was accomplished with the

assistance of W. Bro.

Doumergue Horace and Bro.Nickel Lodge. At Past Master's

Night in March, W. Bro.

Kenneth Alexander, led his team

in the passing of Bro. PaulCampbell.W. Bro. Grant Boyce initiated

the request to Grand Lodge to

have Bro. Marven Firth become

the recipient of a William

Mercer Wilson Medal.

A. W. Stonier 2003

Bro. Albert William Stonier wasinstalled as the Worshipful

Master on May 71h 2003 by

R.W. Bro. J. David Innes. In

June, the Lodge celebrated Bro."Marven Firth Night" to

recognize his work in the

Community, his church,

Masonry and the Shrine.A dinner in his honour was held

before the meeting. During the

meeting he was presented with

an Honorary Life Membership.The work of the evening was the

raising of Bro. Paul Campbell

who had benefited from the

work of the Shrine. InSeptember, the Lodge received

visitors from Tudor Rose Lodge

No. 7590 in Liverpool England,

St. Francis Lodge No. 2 inSmith Falls and Haymarket

Lodge No. 213 in Virginia and

Englehart Lodge No.534 in

Englehart. In October, approvalwas obtained to circulate the

Lodge Summons via e-rnail. In

November, one application for

affiliation and five applicationsfor Initiation were received.

R.W. Bro. Keith Legge, the

Worshipful Master of Doric

Lodge No. 455 in Little Currentled his team of officers

in the initiation of Mr. James

Michael Hudson. Rev. Shelley

Kennedy, the wife of Senior

Deacon, Bro. David Kennedyofficiated at the Lodge's Annual

Memorial Service prior to the

December meeting. On February

4th 2004, M.W. Bro. Donald H.Mumby attended and assisted by

R.W. Bro. John W. Hodder,

D.D.G.M., Sudbury-Manitoulin

and W. Bro. Stonier, investedBro. Marven Firth with his

William Mercer Wilson Medal,

a special certificate of

recognition and a copy of TheFirst Grand Master. The

Assistant Grand Director of

Ceremonies led the Brethren in

giving Grand Honours to Bro.Firth - three times. Bro. Firth

read a poem of thanks and then

returned to his seat in the East.

Only five are presented eachyear, and Bro. Firth was the first

to receive one this year. The

decision as to who may qualify

for such recognition is deter-mined by a committee of three

Past Grand Masters acting

independently. Their decision

has to be unanimous. As thiswas "Step-up-Night" Bro. Paavo

Liukko sat in the near-east and

led his team in the Initiation of

Mr. Stephen Robert Fleming.The Grand Master presented

Bro. Fleming with the symbol of

Canadian Masonry, a pin with a

square and compass on a redmaple leaf. M.W. Bro. Mumby,

R.W. Bro. Hodder and W. Bro.

Stonier presented Master Mason

Certificates to Bros. James Gies,Richard England and Paul

Campbell respectively. Bro.

Stephen Fleming represented the

fifth generation of the FlemingFamily to become members of

Nickel Lodge. R.W. Bro.Hodder

returned in March for his

Official Visit at which time Bro.James Michael Hudson was

passed to the Fellowcraft

Degree. Bro. Paavo Liukko


8

presented Bro. Reijo Luoma

with the Lodge's "Light-Sabre",laser pen used in the explanation

'the Senior Warden's Chart.

There were at least 30 Brethren

present to witness this passing.(A previous pen had dis-

appeared.) At an Emergent

Meeting that month, W.

Doumergue Horace led his teamin the Initiation of Mr. Larry

Peter Solski. In April, the Lodge

agreed to pay for the recarpeting

of the Lodge-room. This projectwould be done in recognition of

the sesquicentennial of Grand

Lodge. R.W. Bro. Hodder and

the District Chairman of BloodDonors presented W. Bro.

Robert Fleming with a

certificate from Grand Lodge in

recognition of his 200 donations.W. Bro. Robert E. Bryson, V.W.

Bro. John J. Gilpin, R.W. Bro.

Frederick S. Foote and V.W.

Fred W. Bright were eachpresented with 50 year

membership jewels and Bro.

Howard J. Jones was presented

with a 60 year jewel. It wasreported that V.W. Bro. Bright

had been recently made an

Honorary Life Member of

Espanola Lodge No. 527 inrecognition of his many years of

assistance to that Lodge.

P. E. Liukko 2004

Bro. Paavo Eric Liukko wasinstalled as the Worshipful

Master on May 5"1 2004 by W.

Bro. Grant Boyce. In June, Bro.

Oliver Coley was presentedwith his 50 year jewel. He had

been ill and unable to attend for

the presentations at Installation.

In August, the Annual LodgePicnic was held at the camp of

Bro. David Kennedy, nestled in

the shadows of "Million Dollar

Homes", with the full benefit ofa bright blue Herbie sitting at

the property's edge. Bro.

Kennedy had provided direc-

tions to the camp with a cautionabout NOT turning left into the

Algoma (mental hospital)

Sanitorium. One might need to

go there after the picnic. InSeptember, W. Bro. Bernard

Villeneuve brought his team of

officers from Friendship Lodge

for the 451h Recipricol Visit andinitiated Mr. Robert William

McQuirter. In October, the

Lodge approved the amend-

ment to the By-laws withregards to the Nickel Lodge

Bursaries. $1500.00 each,

would be donated to a student at

Laurentian University and at

Cambrian College, subject to

possible supplementing of the

amounts, if Lodge financespermitted. Fifty year pins and

cards from Grand Lodge were

presented to W. Bro. Grant

Boyce and Bros. Oliver Coley,Jacob Kallio and Vernon Young

with a sixty year pin and card

for W. Bro. Robert E. Bryson.

Eight other 50 year cards wouldbe delivered or sent to other

Brethren unable to attend as

well as a 60 year pin and card to

another Brother. At anEmergent Meeting that month,

W. Bro. Robert Storie led his

team of Past Masters in the

raising of Bro. StephenFleming. In November, W. Bro.

Robert E. Bryson was

presented with his 60 year

Membership Bar for his JubileeMedal. As a result of

conservative estimates for the

budgeting of monies available

for the Nickel Masonic LodgeBursary Endowments to

Laurentian University and

Cambrian College, there was a

surplus of $557.40. This wasdonated to the District Charity

Project- the Bursary Fund for

the Medical School located at

Laurentian University. InDecember, W. Bro. Grant

Boyce was presented with his

50 year Jubilee Medal. The

work of W. Bro. RobertFleming in organizing the

Annual Memorial Service and

Bro. David Kennedy's

"Repass" were recognized asbeing "27th 2004, South-east

Asia was struck by a Tsunami,

and over 150,000 people had

perished. $500.00 was donatedto the Canadian Red Cross to

help with it's relief efforts. W.

Bro. Storie reported at the

Committee of General PurposesMeeting in February, that a City

By-law Enforcement Officer

had attended Belrock with a

ticket book in hand. Belrockwas considered a Non- Smoking

Facility. There had been a

complaint., R.W. Bro. Wah


9

Chung attended in March

for his Official Visit at whichtime Bro. Robert William

McQuirter was passed to the

Fellowcraft Degree. Nickel

Lodge was recognized for it'sdonation of $17,500.00 to the

O.S.T.O.F. Phase 11- Nickel

Lodge Bursary Fund by the

Cambrian Foundation. At theApril, General Purposes

Meeting, the Worshipful

Master-elect, presented his

tentative schedule for the year,which included the various

Committees for the year ahead.

R. A. Luoma 2005

Bro. Reijo Allan Luoma was

installed as the WorshipfulMaster on Saturday May 71h

2005 by W. Bro. Robert Storie.

Bro. Peter Adams; a recently

affiliated member to NickelLodge, presented the Master and

Wardens with new sounding

blocks for their pedestals, each

containing a 150lh Anniversaryof our Grand Lodge coin. A

Ladies Night followed. At the

June Meeting, "The Howey

Jewel" By-law was passed.W.H.Howey was the first Master

of Nickel Lodge and his Past

Masters Jewel had been recently

located. It would now bepresented to the Immediate Past

Master at Installation. He would

wear it for one year and then

receive his own jewel. At the

G.P. meeting in August, it wasdecided that the Lodge would

have "Degree Co-ordinators".

The Junior Warden for the firsts,

the Senior Warden for seconds,and the Worshipful Master for

thirds. In September, as the

Saturday afternoon Installation

followed by the Ladies Nighthad been deemed a success, a

Notice of Motion was presented

to amend the By-Laws

to provide for this regularmeeting change. It would

eventually be passed and

approved. R.W. Bro. J. David

Innes, assisted by the D.D.G.M.,R.W. Bro. Allan Burns, W.

Bros. Liukko, Luoma and

Donald Moxam of Friendship

Lodge No. 691 invested V.W.Bro. Robert Storie as a Grand

Steward of our Grand Lodge. W.

Bro. Robert Fleming provided

V.W. Bro. Storie's Craft historyand read the submission

provided by the Grand Master as

to the petition for the

appointment, which includedBro. Storie's contribution to

community, Masonryand Nickel

Lodge. He also referred to

portions of the General Chargein describing V.W. Bro. Robert

Storie. Music was re-introduced

to the Lodge by means of a lap-

top computer and CD. Itprovided a pleasant atmosphere

during the meeting. W. Bro.

Donald Moxam led his

team of officers in passing Bro.Shawn Mroczynski to the

Fellowcraft Degree on the

occasion of the 46th Recipricol

Visit of Friendship Lodge. InOctober, the Lodge recognized

the Passing to the Grand Lodge

Above, of M.W. Bro. Norman

Edward Byrne, who presided atthe Lodge's Rededication in

1991, and donated $500.00 to

the Katrina Relief Fund through

the Masonic Service

Association. Hurricane Katrinahad caused devastation to New

Orleans and area in August. In

November, they approved a

donation of $500.00 to theCanadian Red Cross to assist the

India/Pakistan Relief Effort.

Nickel Lodge was recognized as

winning two District Awards.The Joe Lessor Attendance

Award for improved attendance

at it's regular meetings and also

for the W.J.c. Noble BloodDonors Award for the most

blood donations in the year. The

Lodge learned that Grand Lodge

had approved the wearing ofRegalia at Remembrance Day

services and members were

encouraged to do so. W. Bro.

Michael Dowling, WorshipfulMaster in 1999, led

his team in the Initiation of Mr.

Thomas Morris. In November it

was reported that Nickel Lodge'sWebsite had received Grand

Lodge's approval. The Annual

Memorial Night saw the return

engagement of Rev. ShelleyKennedy. W. Bro. and Noble

Mervyn Lees lead the Sudbury

Shrine Club Choir and the

Kampana Bells providedentertainment. In January, the

Brethren also observed the

passing of W. Bro. Robert E.

Bryson, who had been the seniorliving Past Master of the Lodge.

He had fifty plus years a Past

Master and sixty plus years a

Mason. R.W. Bro. Allan Burnsattended in March for his

Official Visit at which time Bro.

Shawn Mroczynski was raised to

the sublime degree of a MasterMason.


10

D.W. Kennedy 2006

Bro. David William Kennedy

was installed as the Worshipful

Master on May 61h 2006 by W.Bro. Michael Dowling. At the

Emergent Meeting that month,

R.W. Bro. and Noble Robert

Gordon led the Sudbury ShrineMasonic Degree Team in the

raising of Bro. Thomas Morris.

In June, a collective ballot was

taken on three applicants forinitiation. This was probably a

first for Nickel Lodge and the

results of the ballot was

favourable. In October, W. Bro.Oliver Koski and the members

of Friendship Lodge passed Bro.

Terry Beange to the Fellowcraft

Degree, on the occasion of their471h Annual Visit. On July 2nd,

Nickel Lodge's Annual Picnic

was held at the Kennedy

Compound (David andShelley's) on the shores of

beautiful Ramsey Lake. Past

Master's Night was celebrated

under the leadership of W. Bro.Gregory Newson, Worshipful

Master in 2000, with the passing

of Bro. Marc Petrie. In February,

the members approved adonation of $100.00 to Rideau

Lodge No. 460 in Kingston with

their building renovation project.

The Official Visit of R.W. Bro.Peter Gordon was the occasion

in which W. Bro. Tom Lloyd

was presented with his 50 yearmembership pin and W. Bro.

Doumergue Horace with his 25

year pin. Bro. Horace informed

the Brethren that it was at R.W.Bro. Stan Gordon (Peter's

father)'s Official Visit that he

had been initiated. Bro. Craig

Yeates, who had recentlyaffiliated with the Lodge, stood

in as the candidate for the

exemplification of the first

degree. In April, W. Bro.Kennedy presented W. Bro. Milt

Fleming with a Lewis Jewel,

who then presented his son- W.

Bro. Robert Fleming with aLewis Jewel, who then

presented his son- Bro. Stephen

Fleming with a Lewis Jewel.

R.W. Bro. David Innes read adetailed charge explaining the

significance of the Lewis Jewel.

G.O. Nichols 2007

Bro. George Oliver Nichols was

installed as the Worshipful

Master in May 51h 2007 by W.Bro. Paavo Liukko. In October,

W. Bro. Sam Khoury with the

assistance of members from

Friendship Lodge, initiated Mr.Patrick Brouzes on their 481h

Annual Visit. In November, W.

Bro. Barry Greasley, Worshipful

Master in 2001 conducted a

crew of Past Masters in the

passing of Bro. Eric Lafleur.The District Deputy Grand

Master, R.W. Bro. Edward

Rennie reported that

there will be fundraising for W.Bro. David Kennedy, so he

wouldn't be sooooo cold under

his kilt and the rest of us would

be spared the blinding view. TheAnnual Memorial Service

recognized the Passing to the

Grand Lodge Above of nine

members. It was reported thatMattawa Lodge which had

sponsored Nickel Lodge, was

now meeting in North Bay. A

donation from the LodgeBenevolent Fund was made to a

Brother who was in a difficult

state. At Step-Up-Night, Bro.

Clive Stephenson and his team,raised Bro. Bernard Fransen to

the Subline Degree of Master

Mason. R.W. Bro. Edward

Rennie attended for his OfficialVisit at which time R.W. Bro.

John David Innes was passed to

the Fellowcraft Degree as he

hadn't been passed since 1964.Bro. Richard England presented

the Veteran's Medal of R.W.

Bro. W.H. Howey (lst Master)

to the Lodge, which he hadpurchased on eBay on behalf of

the Lodge.

C.D. Stephenson 2008


11

Bro. Clive David Stephenson

was installed as the Worshipful

Master in May 3rd 2008 by W.

Bro. Al Stonier. There was an

announcement was made that an

elevator fund had been created

and that a new kitchen was

going to be built. Past Master's

Night was held at the October

Emergent Meeting, with W. Bro.

Chris Kemp in the East at which

time Bro. Don Ross was Passed

to the Fellowcraft Degree. W.

Bro. Kemp had the Past Masters

provide a small history of the

P.M. Jewel they wore. It was

nice to see W. Bro. Robert

Fontaine and Bro. Bill Crawford

attend and take part in the Work.

In November, the "The Veteran

Masons" were recognized by a

special evening. A donation of a

$1000.00 was made to the

Elevator Fund. Algoma Chapter,

Order of the Eastern Star was

recognized for their $10,000.00

and Java Guild for their

$3,000.00 donation to the Fund.

The November Emergent

Meeting was the occasion for

the visit [rom Friendship Lodge

with W. Bro. Lyle Redden

officiating at the Passing of Bro.

Fred Kirk. Friendship Lodge

was presented with a Kneeling

Cushion designed by Bro.

Stephen Fleming and made by

W. Bro. Milt Fleming, to mark

the occasion of the visit. In

December, Nickel Lodge made a

rare visit to Espanola Lodge in

order to accompany R.W. Bro.

Robert Fleming on the occasion

of his Official Visit. The Official

Visit of our own; R.W. Bro.

Robert James Fleming, marked

the occasion for V.W. Bro. J.

Gilpin being presented with 60

year pin. He had been initiated

at the Official Visit on March

2"d.1949. Bro. Fred Kirk was

made a Master Mason and made

a donation to the Lodge's

Benevolent Fund as symbol of

his appreciation.

B.N. Howe 2009

On Saturday May 2nd; W. Bro.Reijo Luoma, served asInstalling Master for theInstallation of Bro. Brian Howe

as Worshipful Master. At theSeptember Meeting, V.W.Bro. Milt Fleming be escortedto the East where he waspresented with his Collar byR.W. Bro. Roy Eaton, hisapron by son, R. W. Bro. RobFleming and a pin by grandson,Bro. Stephen Fleming. It wasalso announced that NickelLodge was the winner of the JoeLesser Blood Donor award andthe new Journeyman’s Award(for visitation) during theDistrict Meeting at Grand Lodgein July. At the October Meeting,marked the 50th. Reciprocal visitbetween Nickel Lodge andFriendship Lodge. W. Bro.Brian Howe passed the gavel toW. Bro. Brian Post who led histeam of Officers in the Initiationof Mr. Brian Leduc into themysteries and privileges ofAncient Freemasonry. W. Bro.Post suggested that there has notbeen a documented case of anyother Lodge in Ontario withsuch a long record ofvisitations….so we will claim

this as our own until provenotherwise. W. Bro. Brian Post andW. Bro. Howe, presented aCertificate of Appreciation to V.W. Bro. John Jellicoe Gilpin inrecognition of his devotion to bothNickel and Friendship Lodges forhis faithfully attending andpartaking in “50 Years ofReciprocal Visits”. A week laterNickel Lodge made their 50th Visitto Friendship Lodge and InitiatedMr. Anthony Biro. At theEmergent Meeting held onWednesday, the 18th. ofNovember, was the occasion ofour Annual Past Master’s Night,after a repast of Wild Boar Stew.W. Bro. Al Stonier sat in theEast and led his team with thePassing of his son-in-law Bro.Chris Marlok to the FellowcraftDegree. At the February Meeting;Lodge Officers moved forwardone chair and sitting in the Near-East for Step-Up-Night, SeniorWarden- Bro. Richard Englandpassed Bro. John Mason to theFellowcraft degree. The MarchMeeting marked the occasion ofthe Official Visit of R. W. Bro.Roy Eaton District DeputyGrand Master for Sudbury,Manitoulin District.

R. England 2010

On May 5th; W. Bro. PaavoLiukko served as InstallingMaster for the Installation ofBro. Richard England asWorshipful Master. At our


12

September meeting; wewelcomed or own R.W. Bro.Albert W. Stonier, D.D.G.M. forSudbury-Manitoulin District.R.W. Bro. Robert J. Fleming;who had initiated theJourneyman’s Award torecognize the Lodge with thebest turn out of membersvisiting other Lodges, presentedit to the Worshipful Master andW. Bro. Howe, for the secondyear in a row. In October, W.Bro. Samuel J. Khoury led histeam of Officers fromFriendship Lodge on theoccasion of the their 51st

Reciprocal Visit, initiated Mr.John Michael Reynolds intoFreemasonry. R.W. Bro. J.David Innes, the candidatesuncle, obligated him. TheNovember Meeting was theoccasion of the Past Master’sNight and led by W. Bro. PaavoLiukko and raised Bro. JohnMason to the Sublime Degree ofa Master Mason. The eveningwas also recognized As beingthe 49th year of V.W. Bro. JohnJ. Gilpin being a Past Master.The Annual Memorial Servicewas held on Saturday December11th. At the January Meeting; W.Bro. Teddy Burns, theWorshipful Master of LorneLodge No. 622 in Chapleaupresented the Worshipful Masterwith a “Traveling Gavel” whenstanding on it’s head, stoodabout six feet high. It had beenoriginally circulated by M.W.Bro. Donald Mumby. Mr. MikeRousseau was Initiated intoMasonry. At the Februarymeeting, Bro. John Reynoldswas Passed to the FellowcraftDegree. The March Meeting wasthe occasion of the Official Visitof the D.D.G.M., R.W. Bro.Albert W. Stonier and witnessedthe Initiation of Mr. GarethAllard into Freemasonry. R.W.Bro. Innes presented V.W. Bro.John J. Gilpin with a plaquefrom Grand Lodge to recognizehis 50 years as a Past Master.R.W. Bro. Innes reported that

Bro. Howard Jones hadcelebrated his 70th Anniversaryin Masonry on April 2nd (1941).

P.E. Liukko 2011

In the afternoon of SaturdayMay 2nd , R.W. Bro. Innes led ateam of Past Masters andmembers in the Installation ofW. Bro. Paavo E. Liukko asWorshipful Master of the Lodge.At the June Meeting, during a“Call Off”, the CommunityServices Representative fromCanadian Blood Services wasadmitted and presented theLodge with an Award torecognize their 30 years ofparticipation with the Canadianred Cross/ Canadian BloodServices. Several Members ofEspanola Lodge No. 527 werepresent for a rare visit to NickelLodge. With the exception of theJune Meeting, two Lodgesusually meeting on the sameevening. At the SeptemberMeeting, the Worshipful Masterassisted by the D.D.G.M., R. W.Bro. Samuel J. Khoury investedV.W. Bro. Clive D. Stephensonwith his apron, collar and jewelas a Grand Steward of our GrandLodge. Bro. Gareth Allard wasPassed to the FellowcraftDegree. The Worshipful Masterreported that he would bedelivering the Travelling Gavelto Shuniah Lodge No. 287 inThunder Bay on September 27th.At the October Meeting, Bro.

John Reynolds was Raised to theSublime degree of a MasterMason. In November, W. Bro.Reijo Luoma led a team of PastMasters in the Initiation of Mr.Rock Palmer. An EmergentMeeting was held in Novemberat which time a discussion; ledby Bro. Craig Yeates andassisted by R. W. Bro. RobertFleming, with regards to theLodge pursuing a CornerstoneLodge designation. TheWorshipful Master stressed theimportance of the Brethrenknowing what was expected ofthem and that two-waycommunication was necessarybetween the Officers and PastMasters. The December Meetingwas held on Thursday December1st in order for the Brethren ofthe Lodge to attend EspanolaLodge No. 527 on the occasionof the Official Visit ofD.D.G.M.

S.R. Fleming 2012On May 2nd, Bro. StephenRobert Fleming was installed asthe Worshipful Master by hisGrandfather, V.W. Bro. MiltonJ. Fleming who was assisted byhis son, R.W. Bro. Robert J.Fleming and members of NickelLodge and several Brethren ofother Lodges from across theProvince. He became the thirdBro. Fleming to be installed asthe Worshipful Master of theLodge and represents the fifthgeneration of the Fleming


13

Family to be a member of theLodge. On Tuesday, October 9th2012 at Java Guild, a GoldHonour Award was presented toR.W. Bro. Robert Fleming ofNickel Lodge No. 427. Themembers of Excalibur York RiteCollege No. 101 that meets atthe Belrock Masonic Centrenominated R.W. Bro. Fleming inrecognition for his outstandingservice to Freemasonry.Distinguished Bro. Paavo E.Liukko, O.P.C. Deputy GrandGovernor presented the awardon behalf of Excalibur College.A brother in the Masonicfraternity may be presented aGold Honour Award forrendering faithful andoutstanding service to anybranch of Freemasonry. Arecipient need not be a memberof a York Rite Collegenor is itrequired that he have any YorkRite afflation. It is worthy tonote that only three other awardshave been presented in the norththey are Arthur Haley of NorthBay, Eric T. Moore and Keith I.Jordan of Sudbury. W. Bro.Paavo E. Liukko a past Masterof Nickel Lodge No. 427 andpast Governor of Excalibur YorkRite College No. 101 wasadmitted to the Order of thePurpleCross at the annualassembly of the York RiteSovereign College of NorthAmerica held in July 2012. Dist.Bro. Paavo E. Liukko is now theO.P.C. Deputy Grand Governorfor Ontario North.As a result ofthe “open House” held by theLodge in the Fall, severalapplications for Memberships byInitiation were received andLodge became very busy. At theMeeting in December, a reviewof presentations and it’sorganization were discussed inpreparation for future events.The January Meeting celebratedthe 53rd Reciprocal Visit ofFriendship Lodge. W. Bro.Roger Kitching and his Teaminitiated Mr. Justin J.R. Proulx.The February Meetin was Step-

up-Night for Senior Warden,Bro. Tom King. He led his Teamin the Initiation of Mr. MichaelEdger.

To continue.

Documents

The History of Nickel Lodge No. 427 - October 1991 to · PDF fileBro. Eric Benedict led his team in the initiation of Mr. Rodney P. O'Connor. In December, Bro. Oliver Coley was presented