Lodge Antiquity’s 200th

Antiquity’s 200th

Lodge No 1, Lodge Antiquity,

is poised to carry the Light of Freemasonry into

the 21st century; sound, confident and eager to work with, and live, the principles and tenets of the Craft.

On 2 November 2020 Lodge Antiquity No 1 held its 200th installation, of RW Bro David Bahamonde PAGM. The lodge was honoured by the presence of the Grand Master and the Installing Master was MW Bro Jamie Melville PGM. The ceremony was indeed grand, and the South was truly memorable.

In the December and March issues of the Freemason there are a number of articles about the origins of Lodge Antiquity No 1 and its 200th Installation, including the Grand Master’s address in the South. These articles report on the history of the lodge and the formalities of the occasion, but what was the 200th installation really like?

Lodge Antiquity No 1 is not a big lodge, so the use of Number 1 Lodge Room at the Sydney Masonic Centre appeared optimistic. Social distancing in such a large room gave the impression of a sparse audience but when the ceremony began there were 95 brethren in the room. The constraints of social distancing imposed on the Grand Delegation added a further element of difference; the Grand Master entered through the rows of Grand Lodge Officers standing about three metres apart. An entrance very different indeed!

Although repeated sanitizing of working tools and surfaces interrupted the flow of the ceremony, it remained interesting, and the Grand Director of Ceremonies made these necessities a natural part of the ceremony.

The Grand Master spoke eloquently about the history of the formation of the lodge. His elaboration on the role played by the 46th and 48th Regiments of Foot taught us all something new and he presented it as a challenge for us to emulate the efforts of these early promoters of Freemasonry.

Our ladies enjoyed the musical entertainment before the banquet which had a strong South American flavour, reflecting the newly installed Master’s Peruvian origins. The musical talents of Lodge Antiquity No 1 were demonstrated by members of the lodge making up three-quarters of the quartet.

Though all were conscious of the need for social distancing, this writer was struck by the flow of guests from one table to another as if everybody wanted to make sure that they spoke to everybody else.

The newly installed Worshipful Master of Lodge Antiquity No 1 spoke for all of us when he said:

‘It is an honour be in the Chair of Lodge Antiquity No 1. It is an opportunity to thank the lodge for the years of friendship that have been extended to me during the 17 years of my membership of the lodge. I am in awe of the centuries of history that have brought us to this point and I am certain that as we embark on the third century of our existence I have no doubt that the lodge will grow and become a beacon that will attract all men who seek the light of Freemasonry.’