Seventy years of service acknowledged
Seventy years of service to the Te Aroha Lodge No 52 was recognised recently when the Lodge made a presentation of a special award to well-known Te Aroha identity, Don McConnochie.
Don became a member of the Lodge on October 17 1946, shortly after returning from war service, and served two terms as Master in 1994 and 1995.
A keen and talented musician, he was also the organist for the Lodge for more than 22 years and was also organist for the Ohinemuri Rose Croix Chapter in Paeroa.
Don was born in Te Aroha in February 1924.
He served in the New Zealand Army for 15 months before transferring to the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1943, serving in the United Kingdom and later with the Pacific Fleet, until he was discharged in December 1945.
He established and owned Te Aroha’s iconic and successful service station, McConnochies Service Station in Kenrick St, which still bears his name today, even though he sold the business many years ago.
He was elected as a councillor on the Te Aroha Borough Council for four terms, and was deputy mayor for three of them.
Don and his wife Sonya moved to the Greenwood Park Retirement Village in Hairini, Tauranga some years ago. Sonya passed away in 2010. The couple had two children - a son, Nigel, and a daughter Pamela.
Both Nigel and Pamela were in attendance for the presentation, along with other family members.
A delegation from the Te Aroha Lodge travelled to Tauranga for the presentation to Don which was made by the current Master of the Lodge, John Dob- son.
That was followed by the presentation of a 40-year jewel on behalf of the Ohinemuri Royal Arch Chapter.
Don was then given a bottle of Coruba Rum by Logan Packer, secretary of the Te Aroha Lodge.
Don has a particularly liking for dark rum – a legacy of his days in the Navy.
Packer says the occasion was a fitting tribute to an outstanding Freemason with an enviable record of service to his Lodge and to the Freemasonry in general.