Lodge St. Kilda ~ Obituaries
W. Bro. Jim MacKinnon
In the late 1980s Lodge St.Kilda were in financial difficulties. In the 1940s an eminent local resident, Sir Clifford Kitson,(obviously after whom a local street was named - Kitson Crescent), bequeathed to the Lodge a valuable and rare coin. This was known as the Bonnet Piece and was valued at some £2000. It had been struck to commemorate the royal visit by King James V to Skye in 1540 and from whence the name Portree originates, (Port-righ - the port of the king). It was the first Scottish coin to bear a date. Due to its severe financial situation, the Lodge reluctantly chose to sell this valuable artefact for its current market value. Jim, who was also a keen numismatologist, or expert in coins, was requested to arrange the sale and the money was subsequently paid to the Lodge. Unbeknown to the Brethren, Jim had bought the coin himself, with the hope that one day it could be returned to its moral and rightful owner, the Lodge.

In 2003 the St Kilda found itself to be in a good financial state and Jim approached me with the tale, wondering if the Lodge would consider wanting to own the coin again. The coin by this time had increased in value, from £2000 to well over £3000. However, all that he would request was the original £2000, irrespective of the value increase and his loss of interest on the £2000 in over 15 years. This wonderful story was related to the Lodge Committee, who were overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness and true masonic spirit within Brother Jim and jumped at the opportunity to retrieve what was believed to be a lost Lodge treasure by those who remembered it. The coin is now safely deposited in the Lodge's bank.
By the late 1980s Jim had become the Lodge Secretary. He was a highly respected mason amongst all of the brethren. His office required much contact with the Provincial and Grand Lodges and he soon became well-known to all. He had a large masonic library at home, which he willingly shared with fellow masons. He has given many lectures on all aspects of Freemasons and always made his talks interesting to his listeners.
He spearheaded the support of Lodge St Kilda to the Provincial Grand Lodge of Inverness-shire, on their annual sojourn to the Outer Isles, at the time when Uist and Harris were both visited over a period of two nights and three days. I can recall, following a late and heavy night in Lochmaddy, Lodge Eval's original home, getting up at 6.30am to catch the 7.30am ferry. At 7.40am, we were sitting in the alcoholic refreshments area of the ship, with Jim serving whisky and reflecting on the previous night's masonic activity. He also provided a good concoction for those in a more delicate state, which, I might add, worked.
next page ...
< back | next >