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Langley Lodge History |
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As Recorded by V.Wor.Bro. Stan Carate in the year 2000 At a regular meeting of Eureka Lodge #103 BCR during the month of April 1977, Bro H.D. Stafford stated that a new lodge in District # 25 BCR using the emulation ritual might be worth considering and any interested brethren could meet in the OK Tire store in Langley one week later at 10 AM. Three Brethren showed up at that first meeting, Bros. K.P. Douet, H.D.Stafford and W.Bro. D.E. Wrightman. There was sufficient interest to move forward so an advertisement was placed in the Langley Advance Newspaper calling interested parties to an informative meeting to be held at the Eureka hall two weeks later. This meeting attracted 25 Brethren and a great deal of interest so the pilot group decided that another meeting should be held two weeks later. At the subsequent meeting a decision was made to proceed with the formation of a new lodge. An election was held, which resulted in Bro. H.D. Stafford acting as President, Bro.S.D. Draper as Secretary and Bro.K.P. Douet as Treasurer. The group became known as the Emulation Group, there were 17 original founding members each paying dues of $100.00. In the weeks that followed, this number rose to 63. There were also 6 charter members. Practicing of the Emulation Ritual began in such places as schoolrooms, small rented halls and private homes, mostly W.Bro. Bhogals home, and finally in the Eureka Lodge Hall.. Bros. Douet and Bhogal obtained some regalia from Grand Lodge and Bro. George Preston made the working tools and the Tracing Board case. The remainder of the Lodge furniture was donated by various brethren. The Lodge was instituted on February 16th, 1978 with 63 founding members and became known as Langley Lodge U.D. using the Emulation Ritual. The first Master of the Lodge was R.W.Bro. H.T. Barrett, the first Senior Warden was Bro. J.E. Chesney and the first Junior Warden was W.Bro. G. Fuller. During the period of Lodge U.D. six charter members were instituted, one of whom would become the 7th Master of the Lodge. Bro.R.M. Brown was the first Master to be raised in Langley Lodge The Lodge was constituted on on August 18th, 1979 in the Masonic Hall in New Westminster by the Grand Lodge of BC. M.W.Bro. William F. McCoid as Grand Master. On that day 317 Brethren signed the porch book and 269 remained for the banquet. Refreshments were supplied by V.W.Bro. Carate, Potters Distillers and San Michelle winery. Bro. Pat Douet catered the Banquet. The by-laws of the Lodge were read and confirmed in open Lodge on October 18th, 1979 and signed by Rt.Wor.Bro. J.T.Barrett, Wor. Master and Bro. K.P. Douet, Secretary. The by-laws of the Lodge were approved and certified in the office of the Grand Secretary in Vancouver BC on October 25th M.Wor.Bro. McCoid, Grand Master and Bro. C. Lorimer, Grand Secretary. In the 1981 – 1982 Masonic year, with W.Bro. S.H. Carate in the East the Emulation Ritual was replaced with the Canadian Ritual. Edited for content and updated September 2004 by W.Bro. George Moore, Langley Lodge
Langley Lodge # 184 25 August, 2004 YEARS
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