|
The death of Portadown District Master Bro. Harold Gracey
is mourned by tens of thousands of Orangemen throughout these
islands and much further afield.
Although Bro. Gracey had been in failing health in recent
times, he was still active in Orange affairs and his passing
on Sunday, shocked the Orange 'Family' whose love and admiration
for the Portadown Master was undiminished.
Bro. Gracey was a giant in the Order he loved and his death
leaves an immense gap. But it is his wife Ingrid and his family
who will most miss Harold, a loving and devoted husband and
father. First and foremost he was a family man and his honour
and integrity shone through, reflecting his life of service
and dedication.
He became a national and indeed international figure by his
leadership of Portadown District during the extremely difficult
trying years which followed the unfair banning of the traditional
return parade from Drumcree Parish Church on the Sunday before
July 12 in 1995.
But Bro. Gracey's leadership of the District began 10 years
earlier, at a time when Portadown District was being assailed
by republicans over another traditional parade route - the
Obins Street route.
Like his predecessor in the office, the late Bro. Jack Brownlee,
the new District Master of Portadown faced formidable foes
determined to banish the Order from large areas of Portadown
where it had paraded for nearly 200 years.
The past 18 years have been turbulent ones for Portadown
District, with republican agitation raising tensions each
July, and compliant authorities meeting their demands to prevent
the Orangemen from walking their traditional routes. In all
those years Bro. Gracey has never flinched, and he has enjoyed
the support of not only his brethren in Portadown District,
but of the Order throughout Northern Ireland and abroad.
From the start of the Drumcree 'stand-off' Bro. Gracey made
it clear that there would be no weakening in the resolve of
the Portadown brethren to have their Garvaghy Road return
parade route restored to them.
In the early years, the annual stand-off saw huge crowds
of Orangemen and loyalists converge on Drumcree each July
to demonstrate in favour of parading the traditional route.
The decision of the Government, and then the newly appointed
Parades Commission to bow to republican violence and threats
and implement the ban resulted in outbreaks of violence in
the vicinity of Drumcree on several occasions.
But Bro. Gracey from the start had urged peaceful measures
in opposition to the ban, and night after night he and the
other Portadown District officers were active in trying to
keep the lid on things.
In the first Christmas of the stand-off, Bro. Gracey had
his Christmas Day meal in the caravan which was parked in
the Drumcree area and this caught the national headlines.
Down the years hundreds of Orangemen, loyalists, and visitors
from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the
USA have called at the caravan to indicate their support for
the Portadown Orange stand. And others from closer to home
- England, Scotland, Wales and the south of Ireland have also
been visitors.
In all this time Bro. Gracey had enjoyed the support of his
brethren and of the District officers, who worked as a team
to implement the wishes of the Orange brethren. Drumcree has
been the issue which brought Bro. Gracey to the forefront
of national and international recognition. But it was never
Bro. Gracey's intention to grab headlines or to seek publicity.
Leadership of Portadown District was something he never sought,
but when it presented itself he was equal to the challenge
and his stewardship will go down in the annals of this famous
Orange District as a truly outstanding one.
Bro. Gracey was first and foremost an Orangeman, and while
he took an interest in politics, and was forced into the political
arena through events, it was above all his dedication to the
Orange cause for which he will be most remembered. He was
an Orangeman through and through, and was never happier than
visiting Private Lodges, especially his own - L.O.L. No. 25
- and chatting to his brother Orangemen over a cup of tea.
Still only in his late 60's when he died, Bro. Gracey was
an Orangeman from boyhood days. He was recently presented
with his 50-year service jewel and this was something he treasured.
High office was not something he sought or longed for, and
the thing which gave him most satisfaction in the Order was
as a lecturer.
Many Orangemen in Portadown District were initiated into
the Order by Bro. Gracey, who was a district lecturer, and
later a County lecturer for nearly half-a-century.
Bro. Gracey never wavered in his principles and his standards,
but he always expressed his views and his beliefs in a courteous
manner. He was not keen on interviews, as he preferred the
Drumcree issue to be dealt with on a general level, rather
than a personal level, but when he did receive journalists
and reporters he dealt with them in a cordial way.
Although deteriorating health had forced Bro. Gracey to take
a less active part in the leadership of the District, he still
took part in all deliberations, offered advice and help to
his fellow officers, and in turn enjoyed total loyalty and
support. Bro. Gracey was often disappointed by what he perceived
to be a lack of adequate support from Protestant church leaders
over Drumcree, but he was extremely grateful for the help
and support of the rector of Drumcree, the Rev. John Pickering,
and was constantly praising him in this regard.
He also praised clergy like the Rev. Tom Taylor, the Rev.
William Bingham, and a few others who had stood firm on the
Drumcree issue.
The sympathy of the entire Orange Family goes out to Ingrid
and her family on their great loss.
|
