We had a wonderful time in Carp tonight at the installation of WM Bro Jace Baart and the investiture of his officers. It was well attended and as the last installation of the season, it was my last official duty before hosting the district Meeting at the Chateau Royal York in July.
Tonight we saw W Bro Bart Seaton installed into the Chair of King Solomon for the 2nd consecutive year. This will be the third time W Bro Bart Seaton has been a Master of the Lodge. The Ceremony of Installation was an abbreviated version and as a result the evening was short and sweet. The work of the evening was done well and Hazeldean Lodge should be proud of themselves. It was very nice to sit in Lodge with RW Bro Brian Koivu again, who was in town from Sudbury, to see Bro Al Lamentine invested as Senior Warden.
It was very fortunate for me that St. John's 63 had to postpone the Installation of there Master Elect Bro Joe Teschek by one month. The original date conflicted with another installation that I was attending and it would have been unfortunate for me to miss this; as W Bro Echlin is a good friend and former traveling companion of my Masters year 2012-2013.
It was a jam packed and highly impressive group of Masons from all over the province to witness RWB Barry Burchill install his son, Bro Ken Burchill into the Chair of King Solomon. The was so little floor space that it made it very challenging for the members to move about much less perambulate. In attendance was our Grand Master MWB John C Green, 2 PGMs; MWB Gary Atkinson and MWB Don Mumby, the DGM RWB Paul E Todd, the DDGM from District 2 RWB Richard Loomes, the GSW Robert Ledingham, myself and half the Board of General Purposes. The evening went very well with all 3 MWs as well as the DGM taking part in the ceremony.
Tonight was a special night as it was the night that St Andrew's would be forming the team that would lead them into 2016-2017, but it was also the last time I would be in my Mother Lodge as a sitting DDGM. I had the privilege of sitting beside MW Bro Don Mumby and of course that night my introduction of the Past Grand Lodge Officers wasn't as stellar as it could have been.
Tonight I had a rare privilege of sitting with the Grand master MWB John C Green at the installation of officers in Almonte. The room was packed with brethren from around the district as well as the Senior Officers of Grand Lodge as they finished up the eastern leg of their Grand Lodge tour.
Thursday night we held our 3rd District meeting and it went pretty well. The meeting opened sharp at 7:30 pm. The Committee Chairs gave their final reports and I gave my summary of the year. W Bro Ron Taylor presented me with a finished collage of the masters of the year as well as a collage of the District Chairmen.
Dave Riendeau, myself and our wives trekked up to Manitoulin Island to Gore Bay Lodge 472 for Dave's being raised to the Sublime degree of a Master Mason. Dave, who is originally from the Island, has family there and it was his Brother in Law W Bro Aaron Wright, who sat in the East for this occasion along with a lodge of Past Masters.
As expected, the installation at Edinburgh was conducted with crisp military precision as one would expect from this Lodge. Shane Livingstone, the out-going Master served as Michel Ashman's Installing Master. W Bro Ashman's Father and Brother made the journey from Woodstock Ontario for his installation and were very proud to have been there.
