Eighty Years of Faithful Service: Celebrating Sister Margaret McFarlane
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The Loyal Orange Institution of Scotland is proud to honour Sister Margaret McFarlane, a remarkable woman whose dedication to the Institution spans eight decades. On the occasion of her 96th birthday, Sister Margaret joined us at Grand Lodge headquarters to share her memories, from the wartime halls of Cambuslang to the lodge rooms she continues to attend today. Hers is a story not simply of long service, but of faith, loyalty, and a life lived in the company of a close-knit community.
A Founder Member, from the Very Beginning
Sister Margaret's connection to the Institution began in the early 1940s, when as a young girl she became a founding member of a juvenile lodge in the Cambuslang area of Glasgow, alongside her lifelong friend Sister Betty McCutcheon. The juvenile lodge (the Institution's tradition of welcoming younger members into the fold) met in joint sessions for boys and girls, and it was here that the seeds of a lifetime's commitment were first sown.
It was no ordinary time to be finding one's way in the world. Britain was at war, and the realities of that conflict were felt even at lodge meetings. Margaret and her fellow members attended gatherings during the blackout, when windows were covered and streets fell dark after dusk. They carried their gas masks with them and, when air raid sirens sounded mid-meeting, they would shelter quietly in the hall until the all-clear rang out. Only then would they make their way home on foot, tram cars not running, walking together through the darkened streets back to Farm Cross, where neighbours looked out for one another as a matter of course.
"We just went to the meeting," she recalled simply. "When the sirens went, we stayed in the hall till the all clear went, and then we went home." There is something quietly remarkable in that matter-of-factness, a reflection, perhaps, of the spirit of a generation that simply got on with things.
From Juvenile Lodge to Adult Lodge
In 1946, at the age of sixteen, Sister Margaret made the transition into adult membership, joining the Ladies Lodge of Queen Wilhelmina No. 30, which met at Cathedral Street. She was far from alone in making that step; her mother and grandmother were already active members, and her aunties and cousins attended too. The lodge, she recalled fondly, was full of family.
"You could count them all; the lodge was packed with members because of all the relations attending." That warmth and sense of belonging clearly made a lasting impression. It was not simply an organisation she joined; it was a way of life her family had always shared.
She went on to serve as Mistress of the first junior section, alongside Agnes McCall, a responsibility she clearly cherished. Meetings were followed by tea, often made by Margaret herself in the kitchen and carried through to the hall. It is in such small acts of service that the true character of a community is revealed.
A Faith Rooted in Church and Community
Alongside her lodge commitments, Sister Margaret's faith life was grounded in regular churchgoing. She attended Wardlaw Hill Church in Rutherglen, going on Sunday mornings and returning again for Sunday school in the afternoons. For her, the Reformed faith was never an abstract principle; it was something lived out week by week, in the company of family, friends, and fellow members.
When asked what the Institution had given her over the years, her answer was immediate and heartfelt. It was the company of good people, she said, the fellowship, the sisterhood, and the knowledge that members looked out for one another. "They're all nice and friendly and they help one another." Long-lasting friendships, she added, had carried through from the juvenile lodge right into adult life.
Still Attending, All These Years Later
What is perhaps most striking about Sister Margaret's story is not only that she has been a member for eighty years, but that she continues to attend her lodge to this day. Her son David drives her to meetings at the Orange Hall in Rutherglen, close to where she lives, ensuring that, even now, she is present and participating. When she was once taken unwell after a meeting, it was the Mistress of the lodge who telephoned David to make sure she got safely home. That is the kind of care that characterises membership at its best.
She is now a member of Sister Thompson Memorial LOL 173, and while she acknowledges that attendance can be variable, the weather, advancing age, and busy lives all take their toll, her own example stands as quiet testimony to what is possible.
A Legacy of Loyalty
At the close of the visit, the Most Worthy Grand Mistress presented Sister Margaret with a birthday cake and flowers on behalf of the entire orange family, a small gesture in recognition of a very great contribution. As the candles were blown out, it felt like a fitting moment to reflect on what eighty years of faithful membership truly means.
Sister Margaret McFarlane is believed to be the longest-serving member within Scotland, and the Institution is proud to be investigating whether her record of service extends across the wider UK jurisdiction. Whatever the outcome, her story speaks for itself.
To those considering membership, or those who have perhaps drifted away, Sister Margaret offers the simplest of invitations: come along, she says, and see for yourself. See the fellowship. See the sisterhood. See how members support one another, year after year, across generations. That welcome has not changed in eighty years, and it remains as genuine today as it was in the wartime halls of Cambuslang.
The Institution extends its warmest congratulations to Sister Margaret McFarlane on her 96th birthday and on eighty years of loyal and devoted service. We are, all of us, very proud of her. You can watch her full interview in the video below.
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