King Edward Lodge No. 16
The Lodge honoured the three Grand Masters on November 25, 1992 when Bro. Cousins held his Visitation. A plaque was presented to each one by W.Bro. Clair Crozier, the Worshipful Master. (a picture of the ceremony is displayed in the Lodge Room.)
One of the most beloved and dedicated Freemasons in the Jurisdiction was V.W.Bro. Arthur Owen of King Edward Lodge. Bro. Owen was raised in 1953. He served as Worshipful Master in 1962-63 and was Secretary from 1963 to 1985. He was a 32̊ Scottish Rite Freemason. Grand Lodge honoured Bro. Owen with two special presentations in 1983. M.W.Bro. James I. MacKay presented the ‘Mason of Distinction Award’ in June citing Bro. Owen as ‘a Past Master and a true and faithful Brother.’ The Certificate stated that “we wish to commend the example and honour our Brother on behalf of all Master Masons and the citizens of Prince Edward Island.” At the fall Visitation to King Edward Lodge M.W.Bro. Sinclair MacTavish conferred the Honorary Rank, ‘Very Worshipful’, on Bro. Owen in recognition of his long service a Secretary. Many of Bro. Owen’s Masonic memorabilia and awards are displayed in the Lodge Room including his Master Mason Certificate and Scottish Rite Certificates for Albert Edward Lodge of Perfection and St. Lawrence Chapter of Rose Croix in Summerside.
A meaningful moment in 1972 aptly revealed the special internal qualities of Bro. Owen. At the Grand Lodge Visitation in September 1971, M.W.Bro. Keith MacKinnon announced a Fifty-Year Pin for W.Bro. Thomas Morrison who was residing in Victoria, B.C.. A motion was approved in December, 1971.to forward the Pin to Bro. Morrison At the February 6, 1972 Regular Communication a letter from Bro. Morrison was received. It read in part “It was a great and pleasant surprise when Bro. Owen presented me with the scroll and button of a fifty year Mason at the Empress Hotel here in Victoria on January 19, 1972.” The Brethren of King Edward ordered a copy of the letter to be engrossed in the Minutes. Bro. Owen as Secretary and in typical true humility made no reference to his role in the special occasion.
Grand Lodge also honoured W.Bro. Gerald Lockhart who served as Treasurer from 1969 to 1987. M.W.Bro. Winston Cousins conferred an Honorary Degree, ‘Very Worshipful’, on Bro. Lockhart during Visitation on November 25, 1992.
In 1996 W.Bro. Clair Crozier and W.Bro. William Donald were granted the Honorary Rank of ‘Very Worshipful’ by the Grand Master.
King Edward Lodge maintained a very consistent membership total throughout the Twentieth Century. The Lodge reached a membership of fifty in 1928 and after a slight decline during the Great Depression and WWII, the total has not dropped below fifty. The Lodge attained its peak membership of sixty-four in 1985 much later in the Century than for most Lodges in the Jurisdiction which seemed to have peaked in the 1950’s or 1960’s. As King Edward Lodge approaches its Centennial in 2004 the prospects are bright. There is a fine nucleus of active young Masons in the Lodge. The many nice furnishings have been carefully preserved and the Brethren are pleased with their role in maintaining an attractive building and an independent and comfortable Lodge Room. There is a commitment to meeting the financial obligations of the Lodge and to upholding the important traditions of Freemasonry in Malpeque.