The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

B - Orono W~ekJy Times, Wednesday, Maich 13, 1996 Masons Celebrate 150 Years in NewcMè'tle A Brief History 0f The Masons This picture was taken at the Durhami Lodge's lOth anniversary clebratipn ini 1946. You may recognize some of the people in the picture. Left hand side, front to back are Bill Jackson, former mayor Gamnet Rickard, George Çorrucher(?), Bill Rowland, Frank Bronton(?), George Walton, S flore(?), and Alex Macleod. The first gentleman on the other side last name is Northcott. photo courtesy of jack Gordon The Masons are the worlds oldest fraternity, tracing its origins back to the days of KingSolomon, and the con- struction of his temple. The modem Ihist ory of the Masons dates back t o the construe tion of the great Gothie cathe- drals in Medieval Europe. The Masons, as the name suggests, were originally derived from the builders that workeýd on the projects. The lodges were formed to main- tain the quality of their work, but eventually non-workers were let into the organization, and thus freemasonry, the present formn of the masons, was bom. Freemasonry today is an organization of men based on the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, using builder's tools as symbols to teach basic moral truths. It is religious in that a belief in God is the prime requirement for membership, but it is non- sectarian. The purpose of freemasonry is to enable men to meet in harmony, to pro- mote friendship, and to be charitable. Its basic ideals are that all persons are the children of one God, that al persons are, related to each other, and that the býest way' to worship God is to be of ser- vice to people., The lodge is the central unit of the Masons, each existing by a charter from a grand lodge. The lodge con- fers three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. Additional degrees are conferred by two groups of advanced freema- sonry: The York and the Scottish Rites. The Shriners are a well known group of Masons who specialize in holding parades and support- ing hospitals for crippled and bumned children. The first modern grand lodge of the Masons was begun in London in June 1717. Freemasonry first came to North America with the founding of a lodge in, Philadelphia in 1730. Niagara- on-the-Lake was the site of the first Canadian Lodge, forming in 1792. Presently there are 650 lodges in Ontario comprising of 80,000 members. Masons have always been great supporters of the coin- munity, and many of them play significant roles in the communities they live in. Historical figures who have been masons include Ben Franklin, John A. MacDonald, Mozart, Henry Ford, Rudyard Kipling, Douglas MacArthur, Will Rogers and George Washington. 0f local note, former Town of Newcastle Mayor Gamet Rickard was a mason of long standing. Present Worshipful Master John Mutton would like to dispel the "secret society" attachment that the Masons have,. "We are not a secret society, we are a society with secrets." The ceremony that goes along with Freemasonry, from the wearing of ceremo- /nial garb, to an elaborate series of rituals at their meet- ings have built up the secret society stigma. In reality, they are just a tie to the tra- ditions of the past, a way of honouring all of the Freemasons who came before them. At present, the. Durham Lodge has 112 members. To become a mason, one only has to be maie, 21 years of age, open minded and believe in a supreme being. As a - group they foster and stress the ideas of loyalty to brother, country and community. Worshipful Master of the Durham Lodge John Mutton poses with the Most Worshipftil Grandmaster Durward 1. Greenwood and District Deputy Grand Master John BeèÇlhamn at the Durham Lodge i 5th anniversary. Also in attendance where brethren from Saginaw, Michigan. The Durham Lodge and the Saginaw Lodge have been taking turns visiting each othèr every other year since 198 1. Durham Lodge No. 66 A.F. & A.M. celebrated its lSOth anniversary at the Newcastle Community Hall this past Saturday, March 9. The history of the Lodge goes back to 1846, to the early years of settlement in this area. Its Warrant of Dispensation was granted under the Uniited Grand Lodge of England, No. 978 and the Provincial Grand Lodge of Canada West, No. 53 and confirmed by Charter under the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario onJuly 14, 1858. Durham Lodge was chosen as the name, since Newcastle was centrally located in Durham County. It is the old- est Masonic Lodge in the area; the Orono Lodge, an off- shoot of the Durham Lodge, is a relative newcomer, 'only' having been arounid since 1874-75. The Durham Lodge, which has counted in its member- ship many important and iniluential people in the area's history, has weathered the test of time and 3 fires. The first fire destroyed their rooms and first warrant in 1877, and twice more ravaged their hall in 1896, one month prior to their 5th anniversary. In 1924, the Masons found their current home in the Newcastle Community Hall. The rooms they ÎlOw Occupy were built and designed speciffcally for theW', and they are now the only cêriginal ten- ants left in the Hffll. in more recent years, the Lodge has involvèd itself with a number of worthwhile pro-_ jects, including giving blood, helping out witb. charities, and lending a hafld wherever they were needed (not always publically). The-ý truly have become a very important part of the comimunity they live in, and we are juc-,ýy to have such an organization in our midst. À At Fortune Financial, we flot only help you with your Tax Planning and Income Tax Preparation, we help you plan your future. '4FORTUNE F 1 N A N C 1 A L Ken Richards Ken ichrdsFORTUNE FINANCIAL GROUP INC. Peron Hanîa Avîor 13 John Street West, Oshawa 728-311M