sPECIAL NEWS FEATURE

Over 100 years as a Lodge came to a sad end on Thursday 9 September 2021 when Lodge Whiteadder No. 1245 held a meeting for the very last time.

Past Master, Bro. Andrew Mabon, was in the Chair in the absence of the the Reigning Master, Bro, Tommy Grieve PM, who was sadly unable to attend, much to his disappointment, due to not enjoying the best of health at the moment.  

Before the Lodge came to an end, Honorary Membership was conferred on some very special Brethren. Bro. Douglas Fergie,  Provincial Grand Master of East Lothian, as  the Lodge was originally within the Province of East Lothian and Berwickshire, Bro. Dougie has some very special ties with the Lodge.

Also receiving Honorary Membership was Bro. John W. Blackie who was Provincial Grand Master of the Scottish Borders  when the Berwickshire Lodges joined the Province.

Past Master of Lodge St. John Coldstream No. 280, Bro. Rob Cockburn, and Past Master Bro. George Brown of Lodge Ercildoune No. 1119 have both  been  very well respected  supporters of Lodge Whiteadder and were also presented with Honorary Membership.

Secretary and Past Master of the Lodge, Bro. David M. Woolf, was conferred with Distinguished Membership further to  the many years of  dedication, commitment and support given to the Lodge.

The very last Mark Degree Diploma was also presented on the evening to Bro. James  Bolton.  

Congratulations and well done to all Brethren.

Lodge Whiteadder was formed in 1920 in the village of Chirnside, at that time, an offshoot of Dunse 23, one of Scotland’s oldest Lodges.  It was most probably because of the difficulty of travelling to Duns in those days, and the high number of Masons in the area, which at that time, was boosted by the presence of the Paper Mill.  The Lodge records show there was a high number of Paper Mill workers recorded in the Lodge archives.

Unfortunately, over the last 25 years’, membership of the Lodge has gradually fallen to a level where the Lodge is no longer able to operate properly with it’s own members, and has had to rely on help from other Lodges.  It was therefore decided by the members to reluctantly close the Lodge and affiliate back to their Mother Lodge, Lodge Dunse No. 23.  To mark this event a special dinner will be held for invited guests on 2 October 2021.

On 31 January 2020, to mark 100 years in Chirnside,  Lodge Whiteadder celebrated with a charity night to show their appreciation to the Village and its people for the 100 years of support they have received.

The village residents supported many of the Masonic functions of the past and in more recent times their popular coffee mornings. Ten well supported and deserving organisations within the village were each given a donation of £500 each as a token of the Lodge's appreciation.

Although the closure comes with much sadness, the Members are very much looking forward to merging with Lodge Dunse No. 23 and forging a strong future together.