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Keeping it in the family

Waitemata Lodge 689 is the oldest English Constitution lodge in Auckland, New Zealand, having been established on 6th September 1855 by Sir Samuel Osborne-Gibbes Bart, PM 199 & 843 P.P.S.G.W.

The Lodge is the Mother Lodge of all English Constitution Lodges in the Auckland area and of many other lodges that converted to the New Zealand constitution in the late 1800’s.

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Waitemata Lodge has survived through many difficult times. It has also had a number of colourful and interesting members many of whom were influential in the establishment of the City of Auckland.

In my address at the Waitemata Lodge sesquicentennial dinner in 2005, attended by the Assistant Grand Master, R.W.Bro D.K. Williamson, I made the comment that Waitemata Lodge is a family Lodge.

Going through the membership lists you will find names repeated generation after generation. Grandfathers, fathers, and sons. As children we were brought into the lodge for Christmas functions and to help set up for other celebrations. In my memory “Lodge”, as we called it, was a fun place. It was housed in a big building in town which was great to explore. There were expeditions upstairs to sneak into the lodge room and look at the big chairs and funny floor. But the best bit was to look at the real sword in the glass case on the wall.

Our parents socialised together and therefore we as children grew up together. It was therefore a privilege to be a member of the Waitemata extended family.

The Coyte family have now expanded this family out to four generations, and they currently hold all principal office positions in the Lodge. The current senior member of the family, W.Bro B. A. Coyte, (Bryan) has his two sons in the lodge and as an aside he also organised that successful sesquicentennial dinner.

On the seventh of July this year a historic ceremony was performed at the EMC when W.Bro Bryan Coyte had the privilege of Installing his eldest son Paul as the fourth generation of the Coyte family to become Master of the Lodge. W.Bro Paul Bryan Coyte then appointed his father as Senior Warden and his brother Bro Christopher Keith Coyte, as Junior Warden. His uncle is also the Treasurer.

4 generations of Worshipful Masters Our new Master, W.Bro Paul Coyte’s great grandfather, W.Bro Archibald Coyte was Master of the Lodge in 1925 and his grandfather W.Bro Keith Morris Coyte (PAGDC), in 1962. His father W.Bro Bryan Arch Coyte was Master in 1985.

This is a truly astounding and historic family commitment to the Lodge and Freemasonry in general.

W.Bro C.N. Hardy, J.P. PAGDC, PDSGW.

Periodical of the District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand Page 12

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