Perth
Elks Lodge #362 was instituted in on May 28, 1952
when 85 members were initiated into the Order of
Elkdom. Officers were installed by District Deputy
Bro. C.W. “Izzy” Izzard of Saint John, NB Lodge # 79
and the initiation ceremonies were conducted by
Hubert F. Seely, Exalted Ruler of Woodstock Lodge #
349. The first Exalted Ruler was Sewell V. Shaw and
the Secretary was John A. Jack Flemming. The Lodge
was organized by Grand Lodge Representative M.A.
“Mike” Moran who conducted the institution.There are
136 Charter Members named on the Charter Document
that is on the wall in our hall. That included a
significant number of members from Fort Fairfield,
Maine.
The Lodge contributed significantly to major community
projects, such as the Community Swimming Pool and
Tennis Courts. Since the inception of our Lodge, we
have contributed very liberally to schools, persons
and families in need, sports teams and other
worthwhileprojects, such as the Community Swimming
Pool and Tennis Courts. Since the inception of our
Lodge, we have contributed very liberally to
schools, persons and families in need, sports teams
and other worthwhile causes. We also support the
National Charity, “The Elks Fund for Children” which
assists hearing impaired children.
Perth Elks was noted for years for their Bingos and
“One-Armed Bandits”. Money raised from these events
enabled the Lodge to contribute tens of thousands of
dollars to the community.
A very important change took place in the Elks in 2002
when women were admitted as members. At the moment,
about 25 women are members out of a total membership
of 100. These ladies have brought a whole new energy
to our organization and the Lodge is much stronger
because of it. Of the 25 or 30 very active Lodge
members in our Lodge, most of them are women.
The Perth-Andover Flood of 2012 not only devastated the
Village of Perth-Andover, but also the Elks Lodge,
which came very close to folding. Through the
assistance of the citizens of Perth-Andover,
Financial Donations from our Lodges across Canada
and Grants from the Province of New Brunswick, the
Lodge recovered andhas become a vibrant part of our
community. Since 2012, over $116,000 in donations
have been made to our community. Had it not been for
COVID, it would have been much more.
Perth Elks Lodge has offered their considerable Kitchen
and Hall facilities to the community for Benefit
events. It is not unusual for the amount of funds
raised throug Benefit Breakfasts, Dinners and Dances
to be in the $110,000 range in a given year. |
