Although Arrowtown’s masonic lodge, formed in 1878, closed last year, it’s now become a popular meeting venue for Queenstown’s Lake Lodge of Ophir.
The Queenstown lodge — whose 1864 waterfront building makes it the oldest New Zealand freemasons’ lodge still in use — absorbed Arrowtown’s members when their Arrow Kilwinning Lodge, opened in 1888, closed.
But Lake Lodge of Ophir junior warden Chris Buckley says members enjoy meeting in Arrowtown ‘‘because parking is a lot easier, and it’s a little bit easier for anyone visiting from Central Otago’’.
‘‘It was sad to close that [Wiltshire St] lodge, but the reality is it’s still getting used as it was intended, what it was built for.’’
Senior member and almoner Gary Lonsdale says they’re now using the Queenstown lodge only about four times a year, including next month’s installation meeting.
‘‘Both are good buildings.’’
Buckley, one of the younger members, says the combined membership’s about 60, and growing.
‘‘Last I looked we were booked until October bringing in new members.’’
As to why membership of what’s an ancient order is growing, he says ‘‘I think people want to get away from all the modern stuff’’.
‘‘You’re constantly on your phone, you’re constantly connected, and then you go into the lodge and it’s not like that.
‘‘You’ve got to use a bit of brainpower to remember the rituals and it’s like stepping back in time, but those lessons are still relevant today.’’
Though NZ’s lodges are male-only, he says there’s a primarily women’s-only Order of the Eastern Star that could set up in Queenstown if there was a demand for it.
Buckley says they’re lucky they lease some of their Queenstown premises for an art gallery, as that gives them income they use for charitable donations — ‘‘there’s quite a few things we’ve sponsored, and it’s really neat to see’’.
Philip Chandler
