The Grand Master, at one of his professional Forestry meetings, met a person who told him that a colleague had mentioned Masons in her family. A bit more probing found that her great grandfather was Charles Robert Morton – one of our Founders, member No 3 and our first Substitute Master (an old Scottish lodge position). He was Headmaster of Yeronga State School.
I contacted her recently and amazingly she has 3 of Charles Morton's jewels. More amazingly one is a Founder's Jewel. Identical to our CH Deane Jewel (our Founding Junior Deacon) except for the office symbol on the ribbon.
A wonderful find I'm sure you'll agree. The colour discrepancy comes from the different cameras and lighting plus the timeworn nature of the other jewel and ribbon. We thought only one Founder's Jewel survived the past 100 years. Are there others out there?
Post a comment
Your Information
(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)
Great find indeed.
How exciting to dig up some history and I'm sure it was a pleasure to the Morton family and lodge St George.
Posted by: Karsten | 11/03/2014 at 03:28 AM
I am the great-granddaughter of Charles Robert Morton who found his jewels amongst my Mum's (Nee Valerie Morton) family possessions and started the process to find out more about the jewels and his involvement in a number of Masonic Lodges. Both Sec. Paul Holland and Dr Gary Bacon along with other members at the Grand Lodge in the City have been so helpful to me in filling in an aspect of family history we had no written knowledge of. Our extended family are all pleased to make a permanent loan of the Founder's Jewel from 3rd July 1915, and to know it will be cared for and used by the St George Lodge into the future. Regards, Carolyn Sandercoe.
Posted by: Carolyn Sandercoe | 20/07/2014 at 01:49 PM
Carolyn, the lodge is indebted to you and your family for generously providing us with such a link to our past. You can be sure that your great grandfather's memory will be kept very much alive within the lodge. This tangible reminder of his service will be a a great memory trigger for our members for generations to come.
Posted by: Paul | 22/07/2014 at 08:09 PM