A UNIQUE RECORD

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2147, 13 May 1914, Page 8

A UNIQUE RECORD

OBOFELLOWS' NEW tiBAND MASTER 57 "TEARS AN OFFICER Mr, John Smith, of Wellington) who' was elected Grand Master <»!' the New Zealand' bi-aniii of the Unity of Oddfellows at the rcraa-it biennial cwifweneo held at Wairgan-.u-i, holds a record that is unique ins tar as Friendly Societies are concerned in. A'tiw . Xealawi, In view of the fact that the Loyal Britannia Ledge of OddfcLlows, M,U,, was established as far back as 1842, there may be still alive some original mcmliors erf the lodge, though it ns, not very likely, _ The lato Mr. Thomas M'Keiurie, who died some-years ago, was oise of the uoM-bles in thai regard. The : present Grand Slasier did nat join tho UddMlows until 1537, when tto l)ecat«» a member of tho Loyal Autijjodea.n Ladgo -'(eeinbli'shsd in vVcJMngto-n abwit thoyear 1&17), but since the year of his initiation he ha's held office iy, with the eijwp.tion of the brief period occupied on a visit to tin; Old Conntry, so tJiat.it may"be said that Mr. Smith has bold oHSse for a inatter of fifty-seven yoar«. When ho joined tho Oi'dor the iiH'Otings used to be held ili a small room in the old Crown and Anchor Hotel, whie'h stood on the site of the present Commercial Ikiel on .LainU-. ton t|uay. Avros the road. In those days tho beach was topped by the waters of the linrkmt, and from tho iUwr of'.tiio iiotel a clear View could be «b----.tained of Oriental Bay «nd the eastern chores «if the liarbotir. What a diango has <«j.tto o\"er tho Eesnel Now tllero are blocks of massive buildings standing where tho vessels used to lie peacefully ' at anchor, The lodgeroom in.tllo .aiicieut hostelry was only a .inakes-ttift, for some three years before Mr-. Smith j.oiJied tfie ledge the Oddfellows had, tltrough the Madly oiliees tff the late Sir (l.eorgo Grev, been ceded a strip of beach, -ap- ' prosiiuately lOOft, square, the Week that k still owned by the Order on the corner of Lain Won Quay and Grey Street (.named after Sir George), and occupied •by tllie 'Uommej-cwi' Union '; Assuratico Company, the 'Centra.! Ckfe, " and tho Ojdd-felUisvs' Ball. It was then, only a bit «'f 'beach of iiiconsideraibie value; now it is one of Die most raliiable of blaclts. The area ..had to be reclaimed, but lwfo.ro that wag done the gutdwg. .spirits of. tuft Order wisely decided to dfivd .woode-u piles into the.lwsich down, to the salid, so that it would art be necessary thereafter to drive item through the spoil as well, when it became nesessary to put in the foundations of the proposed hall. Tho inMnlvere of the Oddfellows did the work of reclaiming themselves, obtaining tliosjioil from behind Solomon Levy's shop on Latobton Quay, now the feito of K.elbuflio Avoiiue. 'f'iie strf was carted across tho road and on. to the site by iiieaiis of quaint little tbtee-wbcoled dobbins, tha'l weise drafii by sniall trucks that would only bold a quarter of that carried by a modern dirt triick. Still the wbj-Iv Was well and truly feiOj, and in the course of tilno a lino Ml " s as efeeted on the site, which net, only accommodates tke lodges, but was used ns a theatre, by traVeWing a-nd local conpatiies up to tire time $ie old Theatre Itoyal was erected. ' v Mr. Smith states that be was ul>>;l-f>d, to office after the first few liteotiiigs ho attended, and had been a fixture <,>v-ei : since. Two years after lie joined he became a district officer, and about the ■. same, ttiiio passed tlirangh the chairs of .hmlodg/p. 'Later years brought fnrth-er respßMSibilities. Me: was first elected a trustee of his own lodge (Antipodean), and t'li.SH'iwas.-rna'clft'a distrieit'trustee, and later isceabw' a trustee for the. Widows' and Orphans' Fund, and the Fidelity Guarantee,' all of which offices he at .present retarts. For the past two years ho has bold the position of' Deputy Grand Master to tho' TJiiity in New Zealand, and now be lias been honoured with the Grand Mastership, which ho retains-for two years, 'That done," said Mr. .Smith, "J. will be prepared to retire into obscurity. I. jvili, .1 belteVP, the eldest liian that has iield. t!)e,*iffrce., I inn seventy-four and a- " half .years old,, and at 76 I shall have d<3»c ni.v }Ww?Jc towards the cause of Oddfeilawsliip in l Now Zealand." It might be appropriate here to note that Mr, John Sn'i'it'h lias been a tir-rfefi worker in .fitijuicipftl politics, lie was elected a IrtMlibw -of the City Council in September, 188 a,' and 'retained hisseat until September, 1,893, He was again fleeter in Jinie, 189i>, and remained a. member until April,' 1005. O.iic.o more bo was elected in .\prij, lt)06, and - remained in office until 191i\ Ho acted ■ as Depnty-Mavov from 'Gctobo*. 1911, until .March, 101:2: