HASTINGS LODGE #633 GRC Instituted 1925

Golden Rule Lodge No. 126 and Hastings Lodge No. 633 Amalgamated to become Golden Rule Campbellford / Hastings Lodge No. 126 Saturday, 08 December 2007

Golden Rule Lodge No. 126 Campbellford is the District‟s second oldest Lodge, being Instituted in 1860, just one year after Corinthian Lodge became Affiliated with the Grand Lodge of Canada. As a senior Lodge in the District, the Past Masters of Golden Rule have always been prominent in the Masonic affairs of the District. F.C. Bonnycastle, Fred Long and G.A. Kingston were among the early attendees at District meetings.

Through the District‟s history, members of Grand Lodge from Golden Rule Lodge No. 126 have included: R.W. Bro. Frank C. Bonnycastle (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1923-1924) V.W. Bro. Francis F. Long (Grand Steward: 1924-1925) R.W. Bro. Francis F. Long (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1935-1936) V.W. Bro. George H. Free (Grand Steward: 1936-1937) R.W. Bro. George H. Free (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1947-1948) V.W. Bro. Frank Heagle (Grand Steward: 1948-1949) R.W. Bro. B. Hilton Beatty (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1956-1957) V.W. Bro. Ray A. Connor (Grand Steward: 1957-1958) R.W. Bro. Sidney A. Hopping (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1965-1966) V.W. Bro. Doug Carswell (Grand Steward: 1966-1967) R.W. Bro. Roy Ballard (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1973-1974) V.W. Bro. Eugene King (Grand Steward: 1974-1975) R.W. Bro. D. Clifford Lunn (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1985-1986) V.W. Bro. Thomas Mein (Grand Steward: 1986-1987) R.W. Bro. Scott R. Drummond (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1996-1997) V.W. Bro. Clarence Nicholas (Grand Steward: 1997-1998)

Hastings Lodge No. 633 was the first Lodge formed after the Peterborough District was set apart. This Lodge was Instituted on 11 December 1925 and dedicated in September 1926. In the succeeding forty-two years [as of 1968], Hastings Lodge has three times provided the District Deputy Grand Master in R.W. Bro. Walter M. Fowlds and R.W. Bro. C.B. Plante, who had been Masters of Norwood Lodge prior to the formation of Hastings Lodge, and R.W. Bro. Walter H. Mortlock. All three men made outstanding contributions to Masonry in the District during their terms of office.

It was October 1926 that Hastings Lodge was first represented at the Peterborough District‟s Association meeting when W.R. Learmouth, W.M. Fowlds and Robert Johnston were registered and paid their $ 1.00 membership dues.

W. Bro. James Malcolm Baker, who served as W. Master in 1932, was one of the Lodge‟s first Initiated members, becoming a Mason in January 1926, Passed on May 5 and Raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason on May 14, 1926, four months before the Lodge was dedicated.

We can all recall R.W. Bro. C.B. Plane who seldom missed a District meeting. He was held in very high regard not only by his home Lodge but throughout the entire District. Others who contributed to Masonry and Hastings Lodge in more recent years [as of 1968] are: V.W. Bro. G.H. Brooks, W. Bro. W.A. Thomas; W. Bro. L.D. Patterson, [as of 1968] W. Bro. M.E. Thackeray and [as of 1968] W. Bro. Morgan Dunford. The latter four all served in the East for two years.

Through the District‟s history, members of Grand Lodge from Hastings Lodge No. 633 have included: R.W. Bro. Walter M. Fowlds (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1932-1933) R.W. Bro. Charles B. Plant (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1946-1947) R.W. Bro. Walter H. Mortlock (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1960-1961) R.W. Bro. Morgan A. Dunford (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1976-1977) R.W. Bro. Murray E. Thackeray (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 1988-1989) V.W. Bro. Reg Timlin (Grand Steward: 1989-1990) R.W. Bro. Wallace Cowan (Peterborough D.D.G.M.: 2000-2001) V.W. Bro. Roy Reid (Grand Steward: 2001-2002)

Peterborough District Deputy Grand Master, 2009 - 2010, R.W. Bro. Gary T. Ballard, was the W. Master of Golden Rule Lodge No. 126 in 2000 and Peterborough District Secretary, 2009 - 2010, W. Bro. Bill Osborne, was W. Master of Golden Rule Campbellford / Hastings Lodge No. 126 in 2008.