Star will hold its final meeting

A Kilsyth organisation will hold its final meeting next month, just shy of 100 years since it was founded.
OES 123 pictured during their 90th year, but they won't reach 100OES 123 pictured during their 90th year, but they won't reach 100
OES 123 pictured during their 90th year, but they won't reach 100

The Order of the Eastern Star (OES) chapter 123 was chartered on March 20, 1920, one of 36 to come into existence that day.

Kilsyth is one of just seven of those 36 who were still meeting in 2018 and the 41st oldest which had not become dormant or amalgamate with another chapter.

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OES is a Masonic body, open to both men and women, established in 1850 by lawyer and educator Rob Morris, and was adopted and approved as an appendant body of the Masonic Fraternity in 1873.

The order is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all religious beliefs, and today has approximately 10,000 chapters in 20 countries.

Earlier this month Kilsyth members held a special meeting in the Masonic Hall on Parkfoot Street to discuss the future of the chapter.

It has now been decided that after 98 years that November’s meeting will be the last.

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Janette McFarlane said: “Due to ill health and advancing age it has been decided that we will meet for the last time next month.

“It has proved difficult to attract new members and it was just getting too much for those of us who are left.

“We could probably have carried on for another year, or so but didn’t seem much point in dragging it out.

“It’s sad that an organisation with our long history has to say we are stopping our meetings, but unfortunately people just have different interests than they did when we were chartered all those years ago.”

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