Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
Harold Appleby has been a member of the Kindersley Masonic Lodge for 63 years and his influence on a provincial grand master earned him special recognition.
Harold Appleby of Kindersley (left) receives a meritorious service award from Grand Master Don Ford on June 16 during the Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan’s annual communication.
The long-time Mason has received the Grand Master’s Masonic Meritorious Service Award, a provincial honour that is given out at the direction of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan. The award was presented to Appleby on June 16 at the 2018 provincial Grand Communication.
According to an official, Appleby is the first recipient of the meritorious service award in the past three years and he was the only recipient this year. The award is only handed out when a grand master chooses to do so.
In an interview, Appleby, who is referred to within the lodge as a Right Worshipful Brother, said he earned his title by performing certain roles within the organization. He noted that he did not know he was about to receive the award when he travelled to Saskatoon for the provincial lodge’s Grand Communication.
[emember_protected for=”2″ custom_msg=’For more on this story, please see the Jul. 4 print edition of The Clarion.’]
He said the award came about because something he said to the lodge’s current grand master when the provincial executive was in Kindersley on a visit in the fall of 2017. The statement ended up becoming the grand master’s theme for the year.
Appleby said Grand Master Don Ford came to Kindersley in 2017 and grand masters will often visit members who are unable to have an active role in the lodge due to their age, or members that are shut in for various reasons. He said he met with Ford and Austin Hamilton, a long-time member in Kindersley, at Hamilton’s home at Caleb Village.
The meeting is where Appleby told the story of how he became involved in the Masonic Lodge. He said he had known about the Masons and when he was talking to a couple of people he knew from the Pinkham area where he farmed decades ago, he knew they would attend the meetings in Kindersley.
He noted that his acquaintances would go to great lengths to get to Kindersley for meetings. Appleby was asked by a friend and Mason if he had ever considered joining, and he told his friend he had given it consideration.
Appleby said no one from his family had been a Mason before him. He said his friend turned to him and told him if he decided to become a Mason, he will never be alone and “there is no more truer words ever spoken than those words right there.”
He said he has never forgotten those words and when Ford asked him why he became a Mason, he told his story to the grand master who asked him if he could use those words in his theme. The local Mason agreed to the idea. Ford told Appleby he might hear his name called during the communication in Saskatoon.
After 63 years of being an active Mason, the 93-year-old former farmer and farm implement salesman said it was a great honour to receive at this stage in life. Several members from the Kindersley lodge knew he was getting the award, but he had no idea.
“I was most surprised to get that (award) and I will certainly value that,” he said, recognizing that he would cherish the award until the end of his days and it speaks to the value of being a member of a Masonic lodge.
He noted that he owes the organization a great debt of gratitude for everything it has done for him. Appleby said public speaking was not a strong point for him, but his involvement in the Masonic lodge has helped him to be more comfortable speaking in front of larger groups. He said he quite enjoys public speaking now.
Appleby said he joined the lodge in 1955 and he has served as chairperson for “nearly every committee” possible. He has held several positions within the organization and he has joined the Shrine as part of his involvement. He continues his work with the lodge to this day.
Ford said he is in his second year as Grand Master because he assumed the role part of the way through the previous year due to a death and he has continued into the year he was always supposed to serve. There are 50 lodges in Saskatchewan.
He told the story of how he met with Hamilton and Appleby when he was in Kindersley. He said he made a point of visiting shut in members of the local lodges on his travels. The message from Appleby made a big impression on him, and it made enough of an impact that he wanted to recognize his brother.
The grand master said he has changed his theme multiple times, but the words uttered by Appleby were poignant and memorable. The words helped him solidify a theme for the year, and he honoured it with the recognition.
“Anybody who after 63 years is still talking about that story deserves an award in my mind,” he added, noting that Appleby is a great example of a Mason. “It was a thrill for me to be able to present that to him as a surprise at our annual communication.”
[/emember_protected]
