Lodge celebrates 100 years of Freemasonry in Timmins

In 1915, several men put a $700 deposit down on a piece of property in Timmins with the intent of building a Freemason lodge in the city.

Little did they know that very same building would still be standing 100 years later, and a new generation of proud Masons would continue to gather there to celebrate their mantra of brotherly love, truth and providing relief to the less fortunate.

More than 100 sharply dressed Freemasons from across Ontario, their spouses and fellow community members gathered at the Days Inn in Timmins on Saturday evening to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the city’s Golden Beaver Lodge.

“We’re very pleased, we’ve had a very great turnout from our jurisdiction, from Southern Ontario and from The Grand Lodge,” said John Mavrinac, the Master of Golden Beaver Lodge 528, “It’s a very special occasion for us, and we’re very happy because a lot of lodges don’t make it that long.

The Masons gathered earlier in the day for the official centennial ceremonies, which included switching their regalia from silver to gold, at the local lodge in Timmins before heading to the Grand Master’s Banquet Saturday evening.

Masons from across the province travelled to the city to attend the event, including the night’s special guest John Green, who is the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Canada in the Province of Ontario.

Green joined the Conestogo Masonic Lodge in 1975 and has served the organization in various roles over the past 40 years.

Aside from his Masonic duties, Green was acting mayor for 22 years, was elected to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, served on the Wellington Police Commission and was appointed for four years to an advisory committee for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

He has been awarded the Kinsmen Life Membership, a Provincial Long Service Award for over 25 years in elected Municipal politics and is the recipient of the 2003 Queen’s Jubilee Medal.

Green expressed his sincere congratulations to the Freemason community on its centennial anniversary.

“This is the icing on the cake here tonight,” said Green, who resides in the small community of Drayton in Southwestern Ontario. “It’s a celebration with our wives and spouses to break bread and celebrate the 100th anniversary.

“It’s significant here because we’re not only celebrating the age of the lodge but the age of the building they are housed in. The building was purchased for what it’s used for today, which doesn’t happen much in other parts of Ontario.”

Planning for the construction of the Golden Beaver Lodge in Timmins began in 1914 and after nearly a year of work the lodge officially opened on May 12, 1915 with a special meeting attended by 134 Masons from the community. The Masonic Hall hosted its first regular meeting about a month later, on June 9, 1915.

“We have plans to upgrade our building when we get the funds to do it,” Mavrinac noted, “After all, it is 100 years old, and it needs some tender loving care.”

The theme of the evening was not geared toward business, however. Rather, it was a celebration of the brotherhood that exists between the Masons across Ontario.

“It’s a renewal of friendships because some of us have met before,” Green said. “But it’s always nice, in my position, to meet people that I’ve never met before, to have some conversations with them about the way their doing things, the way their life is unwinding and how things are going with the people who are representing masonry in the North.”

After enjoying a full meal, speeches from fellow Masons and the company of all those in attendance, the guests adjourned for the evening.

When asked what he envisions when looking toward the future of the lodge, Mavrinac said simply: “We’re happy to have celebrated this event tonight, and we’re hoping to be here for another hundred years.”