thomas anthony wood – Temple Lodge, No.33, Duncan, B.C.

Featured Deceased Member of Temple Lodge No. 33 For October 2017 – Thomas Anthony Wood (1857-1945)

Posted on October 6, 2017October 8, 2017 by admin

Each month Temple Lodge No. 33 features a deceased Brother of the Lodge as a way of highlighting the contributions Freemasons have made to Duncan and the surrounding Cowichan Valley.

Our Featured Deceased member of Temple Lodge No. 33 for October 2017 is Thomas Anthony Wood (1857-1945), a farmer and Reeve of North Cowichan from 1896-1899.

Thomas Anthony Wood, Reeve of North Cowichan 1896-1899. (photo courtesy of Municipality of North Cowichan)

Thomas Anthony Wood was also first president of the Duncan Board of Trade, now the Duncan Chamber of Commerce, being elected to that position in 1909.

For more information, see our webpage on Thomas Anthony Wood.

Thomas Anthony Wood is buried in St. Peter’s Quamichan Anglican cemetery.

Thomas Wood, grave, St. Peter's Quamichan cemetery — Thomas Wood, grave, St. Peter’s Quamichan cemetery

Amalgamation Referendum In Spring 2018 – Did You Know That Members Of Temple Lodge No. 33 Were Instrumental In Creating The City of Duncan in 1912?

Posted on October 6, 2017October 8, 2017 by admin

In the spring of 2018 there will be an Amalgamation Referendum on the question of whether to re-unite the City of Duncan and the Municipality of North Cowichan into a single political entity.

With this Amalgamation Referendum soon to be upon us it is interesting to consider the historical fact that Duncan residents broke away from North Cowichan and created the City of Duncan in 1912 on land formerly part of the Municipality of North Cowichan, primarily because residents of Duncan were dissatisfied with the services provided, or not being provided, by the Municipality of North Cowichan.

The Incorporation of the City of Duncan in 1912 was accomplished primarily by members of Temple Lodge No. 33, including Kenneth Duncan, J. Islay Mutter, Andrew Hans Peterson, James MacLeod Campbell, Frank Brettingham, Thomas Pitt, William Gidley, Charles Herbert Dickie, James Whittome, William Mordaunt Dwyer, Thomas Pitt.

Another Temple Lodge No. 33 member, Thomas Anthony Wood, was on the other side of the issue as Reeve of North Cowichan in 1911 when these events began.

To document this history we have created a new webpage on Incorporation of the City of Duncan In 1912.

Here are photos of some of the Temple Lodge No. 33 members involved in Incorporation of the City of Duncan In 1912.

Kenneth F. Duncan, circa 1920 (Photo courtesy of City of Duncan)

Continue reading Amalgamation Referendum In Spring 2018 – Did You Know That Members Of Temple Lodge No. 33 Were Instrumental In Creating The City of Duncan in 1912?

Temple Lodge, No. 33 Members as Reeves of North Cowichan

Posted on January 19, 2016August 2, 2017 by admin

The City of Duncan was created in 1912 on land that was formerly part of the Municipality of North Cowichan.

Before the incorporation of the City of Duncan, the following members of Temple Lodge, No.33 served as Reeve of North Cowichan (note: the title “Reeve” was changed to “Mayor” in 1970] and as members of North Cowichan Council. Also see our Mayors of Duncan page and our Reeves of North Cowichan page.

Alexander Chalmers Aitken (1868-1923) Reeve: 1909, 1910, 1911, 1923; Councillor: 1907, 1919
James McLeod Campbell (1865-1961) Reeve: 1908; Councillor: 1904,1905,1906,1907. W.B. Campbell also served on the City of Duncan Council
J. Islay Mutter (1874-1950) Reeve: 1914, 1918, 1919; Councillor: 1908, 1909, 1910. J. Islay Mutter also served as Mayor of Duncan, the only person to be elected Mayor of Duncan and Reeve of North Cowichan.
Thomas Anthony Wood (1857-1945) Reeve: 1896,1897, 1898,1899; Councillor: 1892-1895, 1913