Chapter 3
In 2002-3 first Doug Richardson, and then his son, Don Richardson, assumed the chair of King Solomon. When Doug Richardson was a junior officer he moved from Kitchener to the family farm in Chatsworth. Despite the commute he continued to serve as a faithful officer. During his year as Master he never missed a meeting of Grand River Lodge nor an Official visit or Installation due to bad weather. It is calculated that he drove over 18,000 km to attend lodge meetings that year.
Don Fisken, a retired engineer at Uniroyal in Elmira, was Master in 2000 at the same time that he was First Principal of the Royal Arch.
In 2001 Dr. David Cameron, a local physician, was installed as Master in the presence of the Grand Master, Most Wor. Bro. Robert McKibbon. Wor. Bro. Cameron is the son-in-law of Rt. Wor. Bro. James Hanna, PDDGM of London East, a connection which helped entice St. John’s Lodge No. 20 to visit and exemplify an Irish Third Degree on W. Bro. Cameron. During his tenure regular monthly Masonic Education was revived. He started when he was Junior Warden by presenting ethnic food preceded a talk on some related aspect of Masonry (e.g. Arabic food and a talk on the Shrine) calling it “education through the stomach”. In 2005 he was made Assistant Grand Chaplain and became editor of The Newsletter of the Committee on Masonic Education. He was also a charter member and fourth Master of the daylight lodge, New Light No. 744. In 2007 he was elected to the Board of General Purpose and received the position of Past Grand Senior Warden which gave him the title of R.W.. He was also given the chair of Grand Lodge’s Committee on Masonic Education. On June 11, 2002 he presided at our 1600th regular meeting.
Rt. Wor. Bro. Roy Chadwick was elected DDGM for Waterloo District for 2003, a position which he served with distinction. He led the District to raise over $ 11,000 for a local substance abuse support group.
Jim Harvey, an official with the United Steelworkers Union, became Master in 2004. He presided over a set of officers of whom four were native Scots. When listening to a degree, one sometimes wondered which country we were in.
In 2005, Bro. Grant Fotheringham, a faithful member of Grand River Lodge became Potentate of Mocha Shrine, and the Ceremonial was held in Kitchener.
In 2005 W. Bro. Robert Callander became Master. On Tuesday, April 14, 2006 Grand River Lodge held a special evening to honour V. Wor. Bro. Norman Bobier on his reaching 50 Years A Mason. Most Wor. Bro. Gary L. Atkinson was in attendance and presented V. Wor. Bro. Bobier with his 50 Year Pin. During his speech he told the brethren to follow the examples of V. Wor. Bro. Bobier. He is in every sense of the word – a true Freemason! Twenty-four hours a day – Seven days a week – he lives by the principles and teachings that this fraternity is founded on.
The year 2006 saw W. Bro. Bob Rischel in the East. Capt. Bob was a career soldier who had been initiated in Trenton and brought his marching precisions and skills as a manger to Grand River Lodge.
W. Bro. Rene Schuts took over the next year. During these years we had about a dozen initiations and year, and Rene’s speed of diction let us do several degrees each night and still be home at a decent hour. Who else could do the Junior Warden’s lecture in 12 minutes?
When W. Bro. Derek Wildfong joined the lodge we wondered what we were in for as he had hair down to his waist. As a junior officer he volunteered to have his head shaved for charity, and he gave all the hair to an organization that makes wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy. His great great uncle had been a member of Grand River Lodge in 1900. His former military training put him in good stead in organizing and drilling us in the Ritual.
W. Bro. William Kelly, who had once lived in Castle Dean in Scotland, brought the brogue back to the chair in 2009.
W. Bro. Ian Spence’s company does laser etching. He produced the wine glasses we will use at our 150th Anniversary. W. Bro. Spence worked very hard during his year as Master. It showed with the respect that his officers had for him and in the quality of the work that was done. R.W. Bro. Richard Kaufman reported to Most Worshipful Bro. Raymond S. J. Daniels that he had never witnessed a degree that was done as well as Grand River Lodge performed it.
In 2011 Grand River Lodge was invited to join an organization which called themselves Association of River Lodges. Most of the lodges are in England. After
receiving permission from our Grand Lodge we made application and were accepted.
Our sesquicentennial year saw W. Bro. David Byers in the Chair of King Solomon. On Oct. 22 we formally celebrated this anniversary. Lodge was opened at 3:00 pm with the Grand Master, M.W. Bro. D. Garry Dowling in attendance. Over eighty Masons were present including both Grand Wardens, twenty-five other Grand Lodge Officers and delegations from Jefferson Lodge, No. 553, St. Clair Shores, Michigan and la Loge des Coeurs Unis, No. 45, Montreal, Quebec. The Grand Master commented on this visitation by our brethren from grand jurisdictions to the East and the West of us. A new VOSL was donated by VW Bro. Norman Bobier and it was dedicated along with new officers' collars and wands. A wall hanging made by Bro. Harold Miller's mother was presented by W. Bro. Les Brown. In the evening a gala banquet was held which was said by many to have had the best food of all the banquets this year. Additional guests at the banquet were M.W. Bro. Raymond S.J. Daniels, IPGM and M.W. Bro. Ronald E. Groshaw who presided at our 125th Anniversary.
For the first 55 years from 1861 to 1916, it was customary to elect a secretary from amongst the Brethren in the north and south. The Brother served for at least one year and sometimes 2 to 3 years before starting his journey towards the East. Not all secretaries aspired to the master’s chair.
Bro. Peter Fisher was elected and invested as secretary in 1917 and served the office faithfully for the next 35 years and until 1951. Bro. Fisher was awarded the William Mercer Wilson Medal in 1947, the second year of its existence. This medal is the highest honour a brother who is not a past master can receive and is given for Masonic service far beyond the usual expected of an officer or a member.
VW Bro. Harold Rothaermel performed the duties of the office for the next 23 years and until 1974 with a remarkable attendance record and a disciplined attention to detail.
Rt. W. Bro. Frank L. Barrett, a world traveller filled the office to the requirements of Grand River Lodge for the next 13 years, retiring in 1987. W. Bro. Donald Steele held the office for the year 1988.
V. W. Bro. Norman Bobier has been performing the duties of this office since 1989 in a very commendable and efficient manner and continues to serve to this revision.
In the beginning there were 12 charter members. This nucleus steadily grew to 410 members in 1931. During the great depression and halfway through World War II, until 1943, membership declined to 346. The next 13 years saw a surge in membership. In 1947, 33 new members were initiated. They also did 21 Second Degrees and 18 Thirds that year! Membership in our lodge peaked in 1955 at 447 members. By the late 1990’s our membership had dropped to 141, but in the twenty-first century we have seen a dramatic turn-around. In 2005, while Jim Harvey was Master, there were 13 initiations, including five on one day.