ENDEAVOUR LODGE 26 H

Holden under the United Grand Lodge of Queensland

Gold prospectors had brought the town of Cooktown to life during the 1870’s when gold was discovered in the Palmer River and the Etheridge areas. By 1873 Cooktown had a main street over a kilometre long, the population was some 300 and growing and this saw the arrival of our Lodge’s first master, WBro. Howard St. George.

St. George became the Police Magistrate in July, 1874, with his headquarters being then in Palmerville. From all reports he was a temperate man in every sense of the word but did not try to impose his private ideas on others. Indeed the hard living diggers christened him ‘the saint’ such was their respect for this man. It seems only fitting and proper for a man such as this to become the Lodge’s inaugural Worshipful Master of the only Masonic Lodge that was formed in Cooktown being named Endeavour Lodge.

There were large numbers of people including some 1500 Chinese in the Palmer area and in 1877 it was estimated that some 17000 Chinese were mining on the Palmer River fields.

The Cook Shire Council commenced its operations in 1876, with our Lodge commencing its meetings at a Brother Burr’s house on 9th February 1875 at which WBro. Howard St. George chaired.

The records of that evening show that a Brother Buxton proposed and a Brother Burr seconded a motion that WBro. Howard St. George be the Foundation Master of this new Lodge and he was duly elected. Brother D. Campbell was elected Secretary and was authorized to communicate with the Grand Lodge in London to obtain a dispensation and warrant to consecrate the proposed Endeavour Lodge. At the same time the master and officers were also authorized to prepare by-laws and to submit them to the first meeting of the Lodge. A hand-written copy of the by-laws still exists today and was signed by each new initiate and affiliate within the lodge.

Eight brethren attended the then Cooktown Courthouse for a second meeting of the Lodge with a Memorandum to the Provincial Grand Lodge in Brisbane for the dispensation and warrant was found to be irregular and this meeting was adjourned with a view to re-draw the memorandum. The new Memorandum was drawn up and it proceeded by steamer to Brisbane on the 20 February 1875.

On the 13th April, 1875, the Lodge received the dispensation which had been signed by the then District Grand Master RW Bro. A. C. Gregory together with the details of the proper form of application for a Warrant to the Grand Lodge in London. This Petition was duly recommended by the Master of Victoria Lodge 1186 on the 15th September 1875 and expressed his desire that it may be granted. He had, pending the issue of a Warrant granted dispensation that the Lodge may forthwith open.

The Lodge did not sit idle during the intervening period and five brethren were chosen to form a committee to obtain plans and estimates for a building 50 feet by 25 feet with 15 foot walls and to report on the site of the chosen building.

At a meeting of subscribers to the proposed Masonic Hall company held on the 17th June 1875 at the Etheridge Hotel, with WBro. Howard St. George in the chair, Bro. Milford submitted a Memorandum of Association to the meeting. This draft was approved of and Bro. Milford was requested and authorized to endorse the Draft forthwith. The object of the company was to establish the purchasing of a piece of land to erect thereon a Masonic Hall for the benefit of Masonic Lodge meetings and for meetings of any Benefit Society and for the letting out of same for public entertainments. The company was to be known as Cooktown Masonic Building Hall Co. Registered office, Charlotte Street, with capital of 600 pounds divided into 120 shares of five pounds each.

This building was later completed and did stand next to the current Cooktown Museum and is identified as Allotment 1, Section V, Town of Cooktown’.

Later, one of the parish priests, a certain Father Bucas, took offence to having a Masonic Lodge meeting next to his proposed convent and church so he bought the temple for use of the Sisters who had arrived from Ireland.

The Lodge moved to land in Helen Street, Cooktown on two blocks of land that was donated by WBro. Howard St. George. On this site a two storey building was constructed but it was flattened by a cyclone in January 1907 and later re-built as a Hall.

The August meeting of 1882 minutes record that the Lodge met in the School of Arts Building and the Lodge sought to use the Town Hall Stage and one retiring room but the District Grand Secretary registered concern of the Lodge holding meetings in public places.

The Building Committee accepted a tender of 261 pounds and 12 shillings to build a new Temple. Further, the cost of furniture and lighting reached the price of fifty pounds and so early in 1883, 24 chairs, 6 lamps, a table and sundry other articles were purchased with the Queensland National Bank advancing 200 pounds towards the cost of the new temple. It is worthy of note to say that the bank debt was cleared in April 1895.

The first meeting in the new Temple was on the 27 December 1882 and that meeting was to celebrate the Festival of St. John.

Endeavour Lodge’s first installation took place on a Monday the 21st October 1875 with a WBro. Hurst acting as Installing Master and this Installation was carried out ‘in accordance with the Dispensation issued by the District Grand Master at Brisbane’.

THE LODGE BEGINS ITS WORK

On the first regular meeting on the 10th November 1875, 15 proposals for Initiation and 6 for Affiliation were received. The second meeting was on the 15th December with an Initiation Ceremony for the 15 candidates being conducted.

An Emergent Meeting was held a day later with a further 7 candidates being Initiated into the Lodge. It is recorded that the Meeting took from 8pm. to 10pm.

December 27, 1875 the Festival of St. John was celebrated and the Lodge was opened at ‘High Noon’. It would seem that there had been an election of officers within the Lodge and that WBro. Howard St. George was again elected as the master of the Lodge. In all, this officer served four terms as master with three being continuous.

On 12th January 1876, and accounts totaling some 60 pounds were passed and in a ballot for initiations, 2 candidates were rejected and 3 were accepted. One of the persons rejected was Anglican Clergyman named Rev. R. R. Eva.

Five brethren were passed to the second degree at an Emergent Meeting on the 23rd February 1876 with the ceremonial lasting just one and a half hours.

On the 17th May, 1876, five more brethren were passed to the second degree and at this meeting it seems that there is some indication that the Warrant may have been received within the Lodge when it was recorded that the date of the regular monthly meeting be changed to the first Tuesday of the month “in accordance with the provisions of the Lodge Charter lately received”.

Two Initiations took place on the 25th May 1876 and on the 6th June of that year correspondence was read in open lodge concerning the Charter of the Lodge.

The 24th June 1876 the St. John’s Day Meeting was again held at ‘High Noon’ and it was agreed to celebrate that day with a picnic or a banquet at Brother Harris’ place with 10 pounds being voted for use as expenses.

June 24th 1876, the first record of any serious discord within the Lodge is made with the Inner Guard, a Brother Lower, ‘behaved in a very objectionable and unmasonic manner by addressing the chair with his hands behind his back…taking off his regalia, threw it away…continuing to address the Chair in violent language and withdrew from the Lodge without permission”.

There was a motion of suspension and it was moved, “that the conduct of Brother Lower, The Inner Guard, in throwing away his regalia and saying that you may go where you like and do what you like” be reported to the Provincial Grand Lodge with a view to expulsion from this Lodge with the recommendation from the Worshipful Master that he be expelled forthwith’.

According to the Lodge’s minutes, in July 1876 there were two Passings and one Initiation along with the commencement of regular advertisements being placed in the ‘Cooktown Courier’ newspaper.

August 1, 1876, and the minutes record that Brother Lower had apologized for his earlier outburst and it was noted that the matter had not been the subject of a report to the Provincial Grand Lodge.

Further, on the above date, the minutes record the moving of a motion to pay for the framing of the Warrant, the sum being one pound ten shillings.

Meetings were consistent and constant with the growth of the Lodge indeed one candidate came from Maytown some 100 miles away. In those days a very long and hazardous journey. It would have taken some days to undertake this journey. Such was the enthusiasm for Craft generally and members of the Lodge itself.

The District Grand Lodge in Brisbane asked to nominate a Brother worthy of District Grand Lodge honours. WBro. St. George was nominated by the brethren of Endeavour Lodge for such Grand Honours. It was indeed worthy that our first Master of the Lodge, WBro. St. George was nominated for District Grand Steward. The Lodge was justifiably proud of its achievements in the elevation of their first Master particularly his affiliation with the Grand Lodge of England.

Those officers who have served the chair of King Solomon on three or more occasions are WBro. St. George, 1875, 1876, 1878 and 1881 (four times, not continuous), WBro. Oscar Power 1914, 1915, and 1916, WBro. Edgar Savage, 1929, 1935 and 1936, WBro. W. Hodges, 1944, 1945 and 1946, WBro. Douglas Keable, 1963, 1964, and 1965, and lastly WBro. William (Bowie) Gostelow who served as the master for four years in a row, from 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981.

It can be said that the Lodge met continuously during the Great War and later continued in the Second World War. Brethren well know the import of Cooktown area during this period of darkness over the world.

On the 1st February 1882 the Lodge was advised that the Masonic Hall Company had sold the building and one month later new plans were drawn up.

VISITATIONS

Endeavour Lodge has been the subject of many visitations over the years and it is recalled that on 19 September 1879 RWor. Bro Barron Barnett Deputy District Grand Master visited the Lodge.

In April 1882 RWor. Bro. G.S. Graham Provincial Grand Master of the province of Auckland, New Zealand visited the Lodge

On the 24 May 1884 the District Grand Master RWor. Bro. A. C. Gregory paid a visit to the Lodge.

On the 3 June 1886, Wor. Bro. Hon. J Douglas District Grand Master of the Scottish Constitution also visited the Lodge.

Throughout the year, this Lodge has had the distinct honour of receiving into its midst Grand Masters of the United Grand Lodge of Queensland under the names of MWBro Bill Morgan, a member of our Lodge, MWBro. John Menzies in 2006 and MWBro Gary Bacon in 2016.

The Installation of 2008 saw the invitation and attendance of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Most Worshipful Bro. G. Ewin.

The Lodge is justifiably proud of having such distinguished officers visit the Lodge.

SOME PROMINENT BRETHREN

Endeavour Lodge has the very great honour of having on the rolls of our Lodge RWor. Bro. W. L. Alchin, Past Deputy Grand Master, RWor. Bro. N. G. Nash, Past Assistant Grand Master, RW Bro Lyndon Brandt Past Assistant Grand Masters together with RWor. Bro. W. G. Winfield, O A M Past Deputy Grand Master.

RWor. Bro. Alchin, RWor. Bro. Nash and RW Bro L Brandt both served the office of District Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Carpentaria.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s the Lodge suffered extremely hard times, and the then Master of the Lodge, WBro. Bowie Gostelow, together with Lodge members sought the assistance of the District Grand Lodge to ensure the Lodge’s survival. There were notable brethren involved in this transformation and history records their most valuable contribution and their efforts have been rewarded by the Lodge still forging ahead into the 21st century.

The Lodge is indeed eternally grateful to those brethren who heart and mind were joined as one in not allowing this grand old lady to disappear into the abyss of demise, for the Lodge remains a proud and positive community minded organization.

RETURN TO CAIRNS

In 1983, the Lodge returned to Cairns where it was granted a Travelling Warrant with its then Master, RWor. Bro. Winfield attending King Solomon’s chair.

The Lodge met at the Masonic Homes at Whitfield for a time and then later at the Minnie Street Centre but from about 1987, the Lodge took the course of lending Bentley Park Lodge its Cooktown cedar furniture and have met at the Edmonton Masonic Centre since that date.

The Lodge does indeed travel and has met at towns like Mt. Molloy, Mt. Carbine and Lakeland Downs, and Ravenshoe.

COOKTOWN RE-VISITED

The Lodge has always returned to Cooktown at least once per year and this mainly takes place in June of each year where the chance to re-kindle old memories of this antient Lodge occur.

It is of course hoped that the Lodge shall return one day to Cooktown on a permanent basis but at this time it is thought that the current situation is the correct one for the Lodge.

Endeavour Lodge has 32 members and has over a great many years practiced charity in many ways with examples arising from many quarters and it is minuted that some 2 pounds 2 shillings were sent to Brethren suffering the effects of the Boer War.

The Lodge paid funeral expenses for a brother whose family could not afford it. It paid for fares to Sydney so that a brother could be treated when ill.

Lately the Lodge has travelled to Chillagoe to fund raise funds for a defibrillator for use by the Chillagoe Hospital.

Citizenship awards have been presented on a yearly basis at the Cooktown High School

The Lodge currently has 3 brethren in the process of being initiated or raised.

There are many reasons for this Lodge holding a special place in the annals of Freemasonry in this District exampling the formation of Mossman, Port Douglas, Gregory Lodge in Cairns and Normanton Lodges. These Lodges remain daughter Lodges and Endeavour Lodge is proud to have a very close affinity with them.

This Lodge has met continuously since its consecration in 1875 even though the both World Wars took place. It is certainly the oldest, active organization emanating from Cooktown and there is little doubt that the Lodge will continue its good works long into the future.

A Lodge is only as strong as the membership and it is imperative that for the Lodge to survive for a further one hundred years that every brother serve the lodge to the best of their respective abilities with the object being the grand design of being happy and communicating happiness. Such are the tents and principles of the Order and are sought to be constantly practiced by members of Endeavour Lodge.

Our Lodge currently meets at the Bentley Park Masonic Centre on the 3rd Saturday of the months February, April, August, October and November with the Installation in October each year.

Lyndon Brandt
Past Assistant Grand Master
2019

MAY GOD PROSPER THE CRAFT