Historic Fraternal Gathering

Saturday, February 25, 2006

On this day, at the Odd Fellows Hall, 64 Wellington Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, M.W. Bro. Gary L. Atkinson, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario, accompanied by R.W. Bro. Allan Petrisor, Deputy Grand Master, past and present Grand Lodge Officers, Past Masters and other craft lodge members, were welcomed into Mount Olive Lodge No.1, Prince Hall Affiliation, by M.W. Grand Master, The Honorable Clive Barnes of M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge, F. & A.M., Province of Ontario and Jurisdiction.

During the course of the afternoon, a tribute was made by M.W. Grand Master, The Honorable
Clive Barnes to honor the work and dedication of the late M.W. Bro. Norman E. Byrne, our own
Past Grand Master, for his untiring efforts in building the bridges and creating the path which
ultimately brought us to this historic occasion.

M.W. Grand Master, The Honorable Clive Barnes was accompanied by several of his senior
officers and his Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Bro. James Jessop. Each of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge Officers was identified by a gold colored chain collar, in contrast to our blue, gold-edged cloth collar. Although the titles may bear different names, the scope of their individual mandates is very similar to ours.

The cordiality extended to us by the ladies in the downstairs banquet room at the lodge hall and by the Prince Hall members in open lodge was warm and genuine, and made us feel quite at home. The differences in ritual and salutation was interesting and created more than a little
common ground for discussion at the banquet which followed at the Sheraton Hotel on King St.
W. In Hamilton.

B. Bond