Nickel Lodge’s Centennial Tartan
(from our 100 Year History)
During September of 1988, Members of the Nickel Lodge Centennial Committee approached me regarding adopting or adapting a tartan for our Lodge’s use. Why adopt or adapt when we can have our own design?  I was, therefore, commissioned, without pay or remuneration, to design a tartan for Nickel Lodge.
The first consideration was the selection of meaningful colours.  The following were eventually chosen:
Grey: for nickel
Gold: for our Centennial
Blue: for Masonry and our many lakes and rivers
White: representing purity and our winter snows
Green with: representing our fields and forests
Brown
I thought of incorporating other colours, but these are the ones I retained.
The design was a predominant square of grey with the gold lines.  The other colours moved and changed until something pleasing to the eye took shape on paper.  I then created a trial warp with changes as I warped until I arrived at the present design, and completed the weaving of a scarf.
The completed scarf was presented to the members at the November, 1988 meeting and the tartan was approved by those present.
Through correspondence with the Tartan Society of Scotland, I received a proper form to make application to register the Nickel Lodge Centennial Tartan.  For 25 sterling, the tartan was officially registered in May, 1989.  (Centennial Tartan thread count: 36 grey, 2 gold, 1 grey, 2 gold, 4 grey, 12 blue, 8 white, 2 brown, 12 green).
The first scarf was presented to the Grand Master on his official visit for the dedication of the new Lodges Rooms at Gore Bay.
In this Centennial year, the tartan is available in scarves, stoles, ties, and cummerbunds.  Anybody is welcome to use the thread count to weave a beautiful tartan cloth.  By way of interest, there is approximately a half mile* of yarn in one scarf.  (*This I will give in metric when they change the 24 inch gauge.)
Prepared and Submitted by:
W. Bro. F. Gordon MacLeod