Archive

This year was marginally better but, when it came to December, only five members met to elect a Master and they could not find a Treasurer to elect.

The Installation had to be deferred for a few days and then only four members could gather to see their Master placed in the Chair. Two, fortunately, were Installed Masters and – with others among the eight visitors – were able to constitute the necessary Board. Such was the spirit of Hazara that they actually re-established a Lodge of Instruction...

There was a similar shortage of resident members at the next Installation and two joining Brethren were at once invested as Secretary and Inner Guard. The latter was from a Canadian Lodge and may have taken a little time to learn the English working! The rest of the year records minimal attendances. On four occasions only five Brethren were present...

Here began a really difficult period in Hazara’s history. The election meeting having been postponed for a month because of manoeuvres, the Installation of the new Master was similarly delayed and the District had to seek approval from Grand Lodge in London for the eleven month terms of the Master and Wardens to count as a full year. At the...

The existence of a loan fund at District Grand Lodge had encouraged Hazara to embark on extensions and alterations to their building. The bill came to Rs 3,561 but we borrowed only Rs 2,000; the balance was ready in the Lodge funds. The District Grand Master, the Bishop of Lahore, came on 19th March to dedicate the new Temple which...

A decision to have the Masonic Hall wired for electric lighting reveals the scale of the facilities originally available for Lodge meetings.

In April we find evidence of enquiring minds in Hazara. It was decided that six copies of the book  ·what is Freemasonry? should be bought. At the next meeting,  sections  of  the  Emulation Lectures were  given  in Lodge and W.Bro. George Reeves-Brown, the District Grand Secretary and a noted Masonic student, gave a talk. Three months later a Lodge Library...

A Lodge of Instruction was proposed and held its first and, for the time being, its only meeting on a Sunday morning at /030 hours. As many of the Garrison Chaplains at Abbottabad became members of the Lodge it can be seen that such a day and time would present problems!

The Lodge depended greatly upon visiting Brethren for most of its time in India and they  came from many jurisdictions: Scottish, Irish, Australian and Canadian Other features of those days, strange to the present generation  of the Lodge,  were the  quarterly  presentation and passing of the  accounts,  the  exclusion of Brethren (for non-payment of dues) by ballot, the occasional presentation...

Hazara was always conscious of its charitable duties and loyally supported the Punjab Masonic Institutions. This was duly recognised by the District who awarded special Gavel Blocks when certain quotas had been achieved. But the Brethren were concerned also with non-Masonic  causes and a revealing minute for 20th January 1926 records a special collection of Rs 150  for two ladies...