In the early 1930s a number of members of Lion
of the North (Louis Trichardt) were working in
Messina, and under the leadership of W Bro T H
Jackson (according to the Lodge history, the 'only
brother with any masonic experience'!) they agreed
to petition for a lodge to meet there. Meetings were
held at the Huke Memorial Church while the masonic
hall was being built. This was completed in January
1937, at a cost of some £1200.
An early candidate was Dr H R le Helloco and he was
followed a few years later by J E (Boet) Scholtz,
the younger son of one of the first two initiates.
These brethren both went through the chair of
Messina Lodge before moving elsewhere to continue
masonic careers of high distinction.
The first 30 years saw the Lodge making very good
progress, with one very sad occurrence, the murder
of W Bro Yeats, the Master in 1948/9. In those days
the Lodge saw many visitors, passing through on
their way to or from 'Southern Rhodesia', but the
year 1965 brought 'UDI' and Messina felt the full
effects of a close neighbour at war with itself.
Holiday traffic via Beit Bridge virtually fell away
and with it, much of the visiting of the past, while
members living north of the border could rarely
attend their lodge. Nor did the end of the war bring
relief, as the economy of Messina had been badly
affected and South Africa's relations with its
northern neighbour were anything but good. Indeed,
following the closure of the Messina Transvaal
Development copper mine, and the transfer of
employees elsewhere, attendances at regular meetings
of the Lodge fell to an average of six. However,
under the leadership of W Bro George Grobler,
members of Lion of the North came to the rescue and
in addition to visits, some of them joined Messina
Lodge, including W Bro G D Boyd, who served in the
Messina chair for three years.
So by 1993 the Worshipful Master was able to report
on an 'extremely successful year', including
exceptionally sound finances for a small Lodge with
its own, far from young, masonic hall to look after.
In the previous years Messina Ltd. had given the
Lodge the ground on which the hall was situated,
while the Lodge also received a donation of R3000,
earmarked for local charities; and encouraging news
was that Messina was to be the headquarters for the
new Venetia diamond mine.
So the Lodge is confident of a sound future.
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.
Freemasonry a web site for and about Freemasons - South African
Lodgess
