Lodge hall silent witness to events of past

It commemorates the victory of the Protestant King of England, William III of Orange, over the forces of Roman Catholic King James II in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne, a critical victory in William's war to take possession of Ireland.
William's larger army was battle-hardened and overcame James' mostly untrained and poorly armed men - and crossed the River Boyne on its way to take Dublin.
James at once fled to France and left his troops to fight on until 1691 when a peace treaty was signed.
It was not until 1795 that the first Orange Lodges were set up following further unease and aggression between Protestants and Catholics culminating in a deadly battle at Diamond, County Armagh.
By the time the Ulster settlers came to Katikati there were more than 200 Orange Lodges in Ireland, 500 in England and 600 in Scotland.
Katikati's founder, George Vesey Stewart, was an Orange man and recruited many of the original settlers through the Ulster Orange Lodges.
When the number of settlers increased with the arrival of the second party in 1878 a lodge was formed, with the first meeting in an old shanty at Andrew's cutting, according to a speech by Vesey Stewart made in 1910.
In 1881, lodge members began fundraising for their hall which was completed in 1883. From the first instance, it was proposed to be used as a community hall with no sectarian limitations.
Both the Presbyterian and Catholic churches held services in the Orange Hall before the building of their own places of worship, and for their bazaars, socials and meetings.
"It was used for almost every social gathering: dances which began at 8pm and ended when the dancers left next morning to milk the cows; concerts which were mostly provided by local talent; pioneers' reunions; magicians and nigger minstrel shows and many other affairs, according to a 1950s press clipping.
For the first few years in the 1880s, the Katikati lodge celebrated the "Glorious Twelfth" with marches, dances and dinners. From then on, reports of celebrations became infrequent and in 1892 only 12 brothers were present on the twelfth.
In June 1910, a report was published on the hall being "re-opened" as a Public Hall though it continued to be known as the Orange Hall to the end of its days.
The same clipping records one occasion when "a first world war soldier who had left one arm in France, attended a dance with an aluminium artificial arm. Finding it rather cumbersome, he removed it and placed it underneath the hall floor. A group of men were having their own party nearby - as often occurred - and one of them went to retrieve a bottle stashed under there. He dragged out not the beer but the arm. His face became quite green as he gasped, 'Quick, there's been a murder'."
After World War I, the rejoicings were marred by the flu epidemic. Even in this small district whole families were afflicted. A curtain was hung across the centre of the hall, a few amenities installed, beds and furniture were borrowed and the hall became an emergency hospital. A trained nurse was in charge and volunteers tended the sick. "Some regained their health and some lie in the cemetery."
In 1919, a clipping reported that the Katikati Lodge, LOL30, had moved to Waihi and the hall was handed by deed to the Katikati Roads Board.
New Zealand was the only country that allowed women to become Orange lodge members and a photograph taken in the 1930s or 1940s, shows nine Katikati women who were members of the lodge and were wearing lodge regalia. Katikati must have had its own lodge again at this time.
In 1929, the first ball of the season was held on July 12 "with the hall prettily decorated" and the programme had songs and a recitation by local residents.
In 1967, after a long period of no reports in the Bay of Plenty Times, the Orange Lodge held an annual church parade. Representatives from Matamata and Te Aroha were present. "A most enjoyable lunch was held in the Presbyterian Hall afterwards," the report concluded.
The hall was enlarged three times but between the two world wars it became decrepit. The roof had been leaking for a long time with the result that some of the structural timbers were decaying. It was condemned but in 1948 some repairs were made, including strengthening supports being installed as a temporary measure. From then on, large posts held up the roof and dancing and football activities were restricted.
By this time plans had been drawn up for a new hall with a Government subsidy as a war memorial. Fund raising included a Queen Carnival with three princesses, backed by enthusiastic fund-raising committees, vying for coronation for having raised the most money. The new hall was opened in 1954 by the Governor General, Sir Willoughby Norrie, and the old one demolished with useful timber being used for farm buildings.
This potted history of the Orange Lodge in Katikati, was sourced from the files of the Katikati Archives. Archivists are in attendance every Monday and can be contacted through the Information Centre, phone 549-1658.
Silent Celebration
By 1892 interest in the activities of the Orange Lodge were waning, judging by a July 20 contribution in the Bay of Plenty Times by Katikati's 'occasional correspondent'.
"The 12th of July was passed over silently," he wrote. "Twelve men only did honour to the son of the silent William, and that silently. [William the Silent was great grandfather of William III.] These are the Apostles of the new Orangeism, and two of them, I am given to understand, are fishermen. The supper was provided by Brother S Middlebrook.
"No ladies were present, for as yet none of these are Orange men, although in other districts such is the case. No Roman Catholics were in attendance as on other occasions; I wish to say this emphatically as some may think I am not serious."
"Orangeism is undergoing a great change for the better; the men of the new Orangeism are more liberal than their fathers were; more given to mixing the colours Orange and Green and produce a unity of colour and feeling."
"While I write I have in mind an old gentleman of Northern Ireland who usually went home from market in his dray drunk and consigning His Holiness the Pope to a warmer temperature than that of No 6 bath Te Aroha or the hot regions of Florida. This sort of Orangeism I hope has seen its day. The first mentioned Orangeism must come."