One of the twelve lodges constituting the District
in 1895. Germiston, founded in 1887, expanded
rapidly with the development of gold mining along
the Reef and a group of local masons, with the
support of some leading brethren from Johannesburg,
met and agreed to petition for a new lodge.
The Lodge was fortunate in finding temporary
premises readily adaptable through the generosity of
two brethren to masonic purposes and,
characteristically of new lodges formed in those
hectic years, Germiston Lodge had 66 members by the
end of the first year, and met 60 times, with 45
initiations, 38 passings and 41 raisings in the next
two years! A site suitable for permanent premises,
in Meyer Street, was acquired, under long lease, in
1895 and the Lodge's own masonic hall was completed
and brought into use by June 1896. The financing was
largely by way of debentures and this was to cause a
series of problems which were only finally resolved
in 1923. In the first place, the Lodge agreed that
debenture holders could surrender their claims in
exchange for life membership, a dubiously valid
procedure, and one that left the Lodge in some
financial difficulty because of the high proportion
of 'non-paying' members. Then the records were lost
during the South African war and the matter more or
less fell into abeyance until 1920, when a Lodge
widow claimed repayment of her husband's debenture,
plus interest. This claim was met, and the District
Grand Registrar was consulted and pointed out that
only honorary members could be 'non-paying'; so a
compromise was worked out and a 25 year old problem
resolved. In the meantime the Lodge had been pleased
to accept an offer from Consolidated Goldfields, in
1905, to grant the Lodge a 'free and untrammeled
lease' of the Meyer Street site.
The practice of holding two or three meetings a
month continued after the South African war, despite
the comments of the District Grand Master, during a
visit, as to the need to admit 'none but worthy
men'. As, at the time, wastage almost matched
intake, there could have been substance to the
comment, but in any event the rate of development of
the area slowed down, and the Lodge intake with it.
The Meyer Street property was developed over the
years, including the building of five cottages, and
lodges of other constitutions were welcomed as
tenants.
The Lodge went through a fairly quiet period until
about 1944, when quite a number of emergency
meetings were held, including two at each of which
three brethren were raised to the third degree,
resulting in a reprimand from District. But by 1951
the membership had grown to 117 and the Lodge
decided to sponsor a daughter lodge, Delville, which
was consecrated in the following year.
The Meyer Street masonic hall, with its
improvements, and increasing use by masonic tenants,
had sufficed for 70 years but in 1967 the need for
new premises was recognised and the Lodge bought a
property called 'Temple Sinai' in Haley Street, and
developed it into the very active masonic centre it
is today. Other lodges were gradually brought in as
shareholders and ownership of the centre is now
spread between ten lodges of the four constitutions.
W Bro Eric Lake, who spearheaded the project, well
deserved the Grand honours accorded to him in 1973.
He was ably supported in development and management
of the new masonic centre by W Bro Bert Jackson,
also an active District officer, who received Grand
honours in 1980. Three other recipients of Grand
rank, over the years, included W Bro M Cron, WM in
1908/9, and Tyler and caterer for the Lodge for many
years, whose 60 years in the Craft was fitly
celebrated in 1962.
In 1975 the Lodge sponsored St Michael's Lodge, and
provided its Charter Master, W Bro Peter Walker.
Since then the Lodge has maintained an even course,
completing its century with a flourish in 1994.
Exsequi Lodge meets at Park
Lane in Johannesburg, South Africa on the fourth Monday of
February (Election Meeting), April (Installation Meeting),
June, August, October and November. Exsequi is a Freemasons
Dining Lodge and masonic guests are most welcome.
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