WM's Address
Address
of Worshipful Master Brad MacCallum
at the unveiling of the Monument
May 29, 2010
GRAND LODGE OFFICERS PAST & PRESENT
DISTRICT DEPUTY GRAND MASTER
RULING MASTERS
BRETHERN
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN……………………………………….
WELCOME
Welcome to the town of Pictou on this fine day in
May
Welcome to the corner of Coleraine Street and
Cladah Avenue. A
location that we have confidence will become a beacon to all present
and future Pictou County masons and will serve as a constant reminder
of the valuable and lasting principles and landmarks of our
fraternity…. Also, we trust that this location will serve as an
appropriate and proper memorial to those generations of masons that
have passed this way before us.
And, welcome to the 200th Anniversary celebration,
of New
Caledonia Lodge, #11 on the Register of the Grand Lodge of Nova
Scotia.
The town of Pictou has enjoyed a long and shared
relationship with
freemasonry.
But not only the Town of Pictou, but also Pictou
County which
today within its eight craft lodges and concordant bodies is home to
10% of all Nova Scotia’s masons.
200 years ago a group of Master Masons petitioned
the Grand Lodge
of Nova Scotia on January 3, 1810 to erect a lodge in what was then
the District of Pictou, to be called the New Caledonian Lodge. On
January 26 of that same year, Warrant # 35 was granted to the New
Caledonian Lodge. Subsequently the Warrant was changed to
Warrant No. 826 , on October 15, 1849. And thence
to Warrant No.
565, in 1863 when New Caledonian Joined the Grand Lodge of Nova
Scotia as New Caledonia No. 11, in 1863.
A 200 year anniversary is a significant milestone.
What has
happened in the world during that time: THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT
- NC #11 began in 1810:
57 years before
Canada became a nation
5 years before
Sir John A MacDonald was
born
6 years after
Napoleon crowned himself
Emperor of France
And according
to recorded information,
warrant #35 was issued from the GLNS in the “Town” of Halifax.
The records and archival information of New
Caledonia lodge
pre-dates the records of the country of Canada. How’s that for
impressive?
Our lodge has much to be proud of - the
accomplishments of and
the contributions made by its brethren not only to the town of
Pictou, but the Province of Nova Scotia, the Country of Canada and
beyond its borders.
Also, we need to be ever mindful of the sacrifices
and sorrows of
its brethren in times of war and times of peace-keeping.
New Caledonia has seen this country being born and
grow from its
infancy into a world renowned nation and I and the officers and
brethren of New Caledonia are both honoured and humbled to be here
today to carry on this tradition.
Ladies and gentlemen today does not mark the end
of, nor the
decline of NC#11 but the continuance of and the beginning of the next
200 years.
On behalf of the officers and brethren of New
Caledonia I want to
thank you all for honouring us with your presence here today. We
greatly appreciate your consideration and participation in
celebrating with us and we know many of you have travelled a
considerable distance to be here and we thank you.
All of today’s activities and festivities did not
come about
without some herculean effort and I want to thank all the committee
members, brethren and individuals that put in countless hours over
the past year in preparations for today, all thanks, credit and
recognition are yours.
And finally I want to express our sincere thanks
and appreciation
to Don Gunning for providing the location for our monument. Its
positioning affords excellent visibility and is in a high traffic
area for both vehicles and pedestrians and will continue to keep
masonry prominent in Pictou on this beautiful waterfront. Thank you
Don.
Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the rest of
today and this
evening’s festivity. Please feel free to explore our town and
experience Pictou’s renowned hospitality.
Thank you!
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