Hannibal Lodge #224 under the Grand Registry of Ireland, located at the top of Old Maid’s Lane, St George’s, had a grand night steeped in extraordinary personal sentiment, deep tradition and history.

It was Hannibal’s Annual Installation for its new Worshipful Master, Wor Brother Stephen Tucker, taking leadership of the Lodge for the next 12 months.

The new Master is the son of none other than the top man in Irish Freemasonry in this part of the world, Rt Wor Bro St Clair ‘Brinky’ Tucker.

The installation was of extraordinary historical significance on a few other fronts.

Firstly, in attendance were more than 150 Brethren from Lodges across the entire Island, including the Presiding Officers of each Grand Registries of the Irish, English and Scottish Constitutions.

The three Constitutions were represented by the Rt Worshipful Brother St Clair ‘Brinky’ Tucker, the Provincial Grand Master of the Irish Lodges; Rt Worshipful Brother Robert Rego, the District Grand Master of all English Lodges; and Rt Worshipful Brother Travis Gilbert, the District Grand Superintendent of all Scottish Lodges.

The Bermuda Brethren were extremely pleased also to have distinguished Brethren from the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina.

Making their first Official Visit to Bermuda and to Hannibal Lodge was Most Worshipful Grand Master Milton F Fitch Jr. He is the Most Worshipful Grand Master in charge of all of the Prince Hall Lodges within the State of North Carolina.

He was accompanied by the following Grand Lodge Officers: Freddie A Robertson, District Deputy Grand Master of District #15 in Fayetteville, NC; Jeffrey Crisp, District Deputy Grand Master of District #28 in Rockingham County, NC; Eric Badgett, Junior Grand Master of Ceremony; Russell Dean, Assistant Grand Lecturer of District #10 in Greenville, NC; Keith Batts, Grand Senior Deacon and Worshipful Master Lamont Noel of Beacon Light Lodge #249 in Henderson, NC.

Prince Hall (1735—1807) was a freed African American slave circa 1735-1807. He is noted for being an abolitionist and for his dedication to the free black community in Boston. He is hailed as the founder of Prince Hall Freemasonry; which is the largest and oldest social organisation among African Americans in North America. There are now Prince Hall Lodges located across the Unites States, in Canada, the Caribbean and even Liberia, Africa.

Another highlight of the evening was Hannibal Lodge’s new Worshipful Master, Worshipful Bro Stephen Tucker, and his strong connections to Freemasonry in general and to Hannibal Lodge in particular. He is the youngest son of RWB St Clair ‘Brinky’ Tucker. His family connections to Hannibal do not stop there. Every generation as far back as his great great grandfather has been accepted as a member of Hannibal; making him the Fifth Generation within his family to be a part of Hannibal.

There was a heartwarming pause in the ceremony when the elder Tucker presented his son with his (elder) personal Masonic Bible for him to pass down to another Generation. It was the same Bible on which the younger Tucker took his Obligation that night, Wednesday January 14. As one can imagine, his father was extremely proud of his son’s accomplishment.

The Installation work was carried to near perfection by Worshipful Brother Edward Lamb as the Installing Master. He was assisted by Very Worshipful Brother Allen Richardson and Worshipful Brothers Robert Fox, Frankie Foggo and James Pace.

There was a very lighthearted period in the ceremony when it noted that all of the Installing Officers including the Provincial Grand Master and the new Worshipful Master each have strong family ties to St David’s Island.

One of the new Worshipful Master’s responsibilities, on top of the regular management of the Lodge, is to support the Freemasons Fund For Bermuda (FFFB). The Freemasons Fund has been established since 1981 and raised over $250,000 for various local charities.

The FFFB gets its monies solely from the members of all of the local Lodges and not from soliciting outside the Craft.