After he received the statue as a birthday present, Mr Mason’s thoughts turned to raising money for charity.
“There’s an organisation called the Bruce Trust, which runs canal boats for the disabled,” he said.
“We thought a good way of raising some money for them would be to have a gorilla naming ceremony at the Three Tuns in Great Bedwyn.
“Everybody put some money in a pot, and we drew out some names, and then we had cheers for the winner.”
Gerald proved the most popular name following the event – which raised £220 for the Bruce Trust.
The name honours a scene from the Not the Nine O’Clock News sketch, which stars Rowan Atkinson.
Mr Mason added: “I love the fact he’s just keeping guard. His expression almost changes due to the light of the day.
“Everybody who walks past the boat is laughing and smiling. Looking up and seeing a gorilla in the middle of Great Bedwyn on the the Kennet and Avon is not the sort of thing you’d expect.”