ORION LODGE NO. 5130 E.C.
Hall Stone Lodge
Year of Warrant - 1929
The Lodge meets at the Victoria Masonic Temple, Galle Face, Colombo on the third Wednesday in the months of June, July, August, September, October, November, December; January and February with the Installation meeting held in June.
The Lodge was consecrated by RW. Bro. Charles Bayley, the then District Grand Master, on 19th June 1929, at the Victoria Masonic Temple, Colombo.
Orion Lodge was the first English Lodge in Colombo, in which a Ceylonese could become a member and the circumstances of how this came about have been sufficiently well documented.
In 1928 R.W. Bro. Lord Cornwallis who was then the Viceroy of India led a deputation on an official visit to Ceylon. At the subsequent Banquet given in their honour at the Grand Oriental Hotel, Fort, W. Bro. R.F. Dias, a Past Master of Lodge Bonnie Doon No.611 SC who was then District Judge of Colombo was asked to reply to the toast of the Visitors. W. Bro. Dias who did not mince his words made a scathing attack on English Freemasonry; complaining bitterly that no Ceylonese was able to join an English Lodge in Colombo and those who had become Freemasons were all members of Lodge Bonnie Doon of the Scottish Constitution. Lord Cornwallis turned verified this fact with R.W. Bro. C J Bayley who was then DGM and when W. Bro. Dias had finished, Lord Cornwallis got up and said he was not leaving Ceylon until he received a petition from the Ceylonese Brethren to form their own Lodge. The Petition was duly submitted and very soon after in 1929 Orion Lodge received its Warrant. It has therefore been said, that W.Bro. Reginald F Dias could well be regarded as the real Founder of the Lodge.
Orion Lodge has had the distinction of having three District Grand Masters and Five Deputy District Grand Masters amongst its initiates.