Inuvik Masonic Club
Volume 1, Issue 1 August 2001
Welcome This is the first
issue of the Inuvik Masonic Club Newsletter. The purpose of
this almost regular communication will be to try and keep our members up to
date on the happenings in the club, to remind you of upcoming meetings and
events, and from time to time pass along a little Masonic Education and
Development. I’m going to try
and keep it as light and informal as I can, and hope you’ll excuse me if I
putter off into obscurity every once in a while. With your help,
we can make this newsletter a wealth of information and maybe even have a
little fun while we are doing it! If you have
anything you want mentioned in here, have a joke or two to pass along, or
want to contribute an article or two (or six, for that matter), feel free
to pass it along. Our History As long as the
Town of Inuvik has existed, there have been Masons living and working here.
Over the years, there have been various attempts to form a Lodge or Club,
or at least bring Masons together for a social function or two. Being a town of
transient residence as it is, many of the brave souls who attempted this
feat have moved on to other, probably greener, pastures. The latest
venture into forming a Masonic Club started about two years ago, with a
chance encounter between two brothers and a soon to be initiated candidate.
From a comment along the lines of “we should get together for a coffee and
a chat”. The Club we see today has grown. Over the fifteen
years this writer has been here, at least a dozen craftsmen have passed
through the town, staying anywhere from a few months to a few years. Some
made Inuvik their permanent home but have, sadly, passed on to the Grand
Lodge Above. Each of them has
made their mark on this town in one way or another. Going strictly
from memory for this first list, I have listed on another page the names of
the Craftsmen who have passed through or lived in our fair town. With your assistance, I hope to expand
that list, and look forward to printing an ever-expanding list with each
issue. Although it seems
far in the future, I, for one, will be both proud and humbled when we
finally receive the okay to form a full lodge – to reflect back on the
years of steadfast labour and “indefatigable exertion” that have gone into
bringing this group together.
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Inside This Issue |
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1 |
Welcome |
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1 |
Our History |
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2 |
What’s In A Name? |
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2 |
Dispensation News |
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2 |
List of Brethren – Past and Present |
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3 |
Wow! That’s a lot of stuff! |
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4 |
Meetings and Notices |
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4 |
Just a Junior Deacon |
Correspondence, articles, letters, complaints, and especially
compliments may be sent to: The Inuvik Masonic Club Newsletter, Box 2536, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0 or by email to: garven@nt.sympatico.ca
Dispensation – From previous page This package is
relatively extensive, and will include copies of minutes and financial
statements from the Club, a list of Masons interested in becoming founding
members and being named on the charter, copies of dues cards and
Certificates of Good Standing for all members, as well as proposed by-laws
and any other controlling documents. At the same time, Grand Lodge and
District assessments and fees are paid. We also intend to request a
specific name and number for the lodge (Far North Lodge # 200). While we wait
for the approval, some of our members are busy gathering the furniture,
furnishings, equipment, collars, wands, manuals, record books, etc. that
are needed for the day to day operation of a lodge, while others are
finding a regular (preferably dedicated) location for meetings and other
activities and events, and others are working on By-Laws, planning the
work for the next 100 or so years, and generally getting the whole administrative
end of things lined up. As you can see,
it’s a long process, but we are well on our way. The search for a suitable
piece of land and a building to put on it is progressing well. We have
obtained some furnishings and equipment for the Lodge Rooms, and have been
meeting regularly to work with our newest members and plan the future. We hope to apply
for dispensation in Southern Spring (late February to mid-March), so we
seem to be right on track. Many lodges make
their annual dues payable on or before January 1st of each
year. What a great opportunity to ask your lodge secretary to issue a
“Certificate of Good Standing” at the same time as your dues card. Send it
along to us, and we will include it with our application. Pass this
newsletter along to other people in your lodge – it has been surprising
how many people have come out of the woodwork to say “yeah – I was in
Inuvik for 6 months.” Or “I have always wanted to visit Inuvik – maybe
this is the incentive I need.” Whatever the reason or the tie to the
North, we’ll welcome just about anyone.
Notices and Meetings An election of Officers for the Inuvik
Masonic Club will take place at the Sunday, 9 September 2001 meeting. Positions to be elected are Master
(President), Senior Warden (Vice President), Junior Warden (2nd
Vice President), Secretary and Treasurer. (Secretary and Treasurer
positions may be combined.) At the same meeting, a proposed set of basic
by-laws will be presented to lay out the general goals and objectives,
membership requirements and fees, and structure of the Club. Please note these bylaws are for the Inuvik
Masonic Club only, and not
for any lodge that may be formed in the future. We look forward to your attendance and
input. NEXT
MEETINGS The following meeting dates and times have
been tentatively set for the Inuvik Masonic Club: Thursday, 6 Sep 01 – 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM Sunday, 9 Sep 01 – 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM Saturday, 15 Sep 01 – 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM Thursday, 20 Sep 01 – 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM Thursday, 27 Sep 01 – 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM We are trying out a variety of different
days, to see what best suits the membership. The first meetings are to be held at NTPC Boardroom. SPECIAL DATES October 1, 2001 – Yellowknife #162 GRA Brother Mario Lemieux will be the candidate,
being passed to the 2nd degree. Also, Brother Wally Wolfe will prove his 3rd
degree. October 20, 2001 – Yellowknife #162 GRA One or two candidates from Inuvik will be
initiated, (provisional on clear ballot).
