In September, 1969 Twillingate’s Masons gathered to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary in Freemasonry of Wor. Bro. Thomas W. G. Ashbourne (1894-1984). a Twillingate native, Bro. Ashbourne had a remarkable life and career, apart from his lengthy tenure as a Mason. Freshly graduated from university, he enlisted to serve in the Great War (1914-18). An officer with the Royal Garrison Artillery, he was wounded on more than one occasion. Bro. Ashbourne was initated into Twillingate Lodge upon his return from Europe. He took over the running of his family’s fish merchanting business in 1922, and served a term in the Newfoundland Legislature. He was a prominent member of the National Convention, which paved the way for Newfoundland’s joining Canada in 1949. After Confederation Bro. Ashbourne served for many years as a Federal Member of the Canadian Parliament.