Recalling events of the past 145 years can be a challenge and members of the Wimmera Lodge 70 were faced with this task as they prepared to celebrate a milestone in May this year.
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Memories and recollections included the knighthood of a Grand Master and a proposed street naming after the first Worshipful Master.
Recent celebrations were held at the Horsham RSL to commemorate the occasion and a plaque was unveiled marking the milestone and original ownership of their first meeting place in Horsham.
A part of the RSL complex was the original lodge building, built in the 1880 and occupied by the Lodge until 1937.
"About 70 Lodge members from the Wimmera celebrated with a lunch at the RSL. Horsham Rural City Council mayor Robyn Gulline attended the occasion.
"The occasion was fairly informal," Secretary Dale Russell said," but very enjoyable."
"When you walk into the RSL building you are facing where there used to be a laneway before the rebuild," he said.
As one of the earliest organizations established in the Wimmera, members have seen many changes and fortunately recorded many of those so they could be celebrated this year and not be forgotten.
"The 100 year book provided valuable information for this year's celebration," Mr Russell said.
The first meeting of the Wimmera Lodge was held on Friday September 19, 1877, at the Club Hotel which was situated on the corner of Wilson and Urquhart streets, which we now know as Bunnings car park.
The first Worshipful Master of the Wimmera Lodge was solicitor James Whiteacre Twigg.
Members have tried to locate relatives of Mr Twigg and have applied to Horsham Rural City Council to have a street named after him.
"The application has been accepted by HRCC and Mr Twigg's name has been added to the street name list for future use by a developer," Mr Russell said.
On October 24, 1944, Charles Darvall was initiated into the Wimmera Lodge before moving to Melbourne where he became the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the United Grand lodge of Victoria and was subsequently knighted and became Sir Charles Roger Darvall CBE.
Lodge meetings were also held at the Court House, school buildings and at the White Hart Hotel. Business offices of members Gregory and Kruger and De Coucy Ireland were also used for meetings.
Members held their 82nd regular meeting in the Masonic Hall in McLachlan Street which is now the western part of the current Horsham RSL complex.
On September 11, 1937, members held their first meeting in the new two-story building.
It was rededicated in 2016 and on September 18, 2022, a plaque was unveiled to recognize this section of the building.
"After WWII we had a lot of new members. I think returned servicemen were looking for a safe place to have friendship and fellowship after the war. We still have several Vietnam Vets on our membership," Mr Russell said.
"I think they like the structure and certain protocols that may be a little like being in the service," he said.
"In the 1980's there were 108,000 Lodge members in Victoria and there were three Lodges in Horsham but now I think there are about 8000 members in Victoria," he said.
Horsham Lodge currently has about 50 members and continue to provide fellowship to each other and raise funds to support the community.
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Drawing on records from the early days, donations to various clubs and organizations are recorded in Imperial Currency.
A donation of £50 was sent to the State RSL in 1928 to assist with the erection of the Shine of Remembrance in St Kilda Road Melbourne.
Some of the beneficiaries of the club include donations to the Masonic Homes, Freemasons Hospital and the Wimmera Base Hospital.
In 1943, £50 was sent to the fighting force appeal during World War II and food parcels were sent to the March and Darnley Lodge, Horsham Sussex England for the food for Britain appeal..
A concert in October 1946 raised £70 for Horsham Hospital and in November 1958 £140 was donated to the Freemasons Hospital with an additional £50 sent at a later date.
Wimmera Lodge took part in the Leaves of Life Tree at the cemetery in memory of stillborn and deceased babies and contributed to the Horsham Aeromedical Transfer station.
In support of returned servicemen a special service was held on April 2,5 1939, and has been held every year since and included the vacant chair which represents the absent member.
The service was initiated by WBro RC Newton who was a WWI returned serviceman.
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Wimmera Lodge has continued to support many organizations including Horsham Men's Shed, Instruments for the Warracknabeal Brass Band, Horsham Air Force Cadets stand/banner, Wimmera Asthma Foundation - annual Asthma Camps at Halls Gap, Wimmera Parkinson's Support Group, Motor Neurone Disease Research, Longerenong Agricultural College Students Scholarship, Horsham Scout Group, Leadership Wimmera, Horsham Headspace, Brethren and widows of brethren who have been in financial distress.
The Lodge donated $2,500 to the Wimmera Cancer Centre and were successful in securing at $150,000 grant from the Freemasons Foundation Victoria to fit out 2 rooms at the centre.
"Organisations that were established about the same time as the Horsham Lodge include the Horsham Brass Band in 1872, Horsham Fire Brigade in 1875 and the Horsham Agricultural Society in 1876 and all deserve to be congratulated on still being successfully in operation," Secretary Dale Russell said.
Horsham was named by early settler James Darlot in 1842, after Horsham in his native England.
