FVNews Daily. 
No 25. Friday, May 15, 2020
From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action TeamFVNews Daily is also available at www.FVNews.com.au
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Award for Bob Chalmers
• Wor. Bro. Bob Chalmers has received recognition by the Moonee Valley City Council by awarding him the 2020 Neighborhood Spirit Award forMoonee Ponds. (Thanks to Barry Minster for this news.)

‘The Premier Family Fun Lodge’
• Lodge of the Golden Fleece will be conducting a Family Fun Quiz online from 7.30pm on Friday, May 29. Details will be released soon. Lodges are invited to assemble a team and test their pub quiz knowledge. A special guest quizmaster is to be announced.

Origins of our Foundation
• Yesterday’s FVNews Daily (Thu., May 14) included an historical piece about the origins of the Board of Benevolence in 1889. Roy Alderton brings us to the current day: “The Board of Benevolence ceased to exist in late 2014 but the funds which it administered, raised over the years since 1889, were transferred to the Freemason Benevolent Fund (a Trust). To mark the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the BofB, in 1989 a group of seniorFreemasons established a second charitable trust, the Freemasons Public Charitable Foundation. Since 2014 the Freemasons Benevolent Fund, and the Freemasons Public Charitable Foundation, have been administered by the board of Freemasons Foundation Victoria Limited, which now donates over $2m a year to charitable causes in the name of all Victorian Freemasons.”

Ballarat’s effort in international spotlight
• A donation of 90 blankets by the Sturt-Buninyong Lodge has been featured at the Freemasonry Matters website. See HERE. Lodge Secretary Ron Fleming said the donation was realised as a result of the Lodge’s annual fruit sale. The donation was also featured on WIN-TV.

Dignitaries at Endeavour Virtual Lodge
• Matteo Donato advises of the roll-call of dignitaries at the April 30 meeting of the Endeavour Virtual Lodge:
• MWBro Philip Oddie, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Tasmania
• RWBro David Macrow PDGM, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Tasmania
• MWBro Charles Rae Haldine-Wilsone, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, Canada. 
• RWBro Rajiv Sethi, Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of India. 
• RWBro Alok Kapoor, Past Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of India
• WBro Damir Desai, Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies of the Grand Lodge of India. 
• RWBro Duncan Walker PAGM, Past President of the Board of General Purposes of the United Grand Lodge of Queensland

‘Down by the Sea’
• Dick Clark, Secretary and Engagement Officer, Cosmopolitan Lodge No 96, says: “Cosmopolitan Lodge No 96 at Queenscliff conducted a virtual meeting on Zoom on the usual Lodge meeting night on Wednesday (May 13). Some 15 Brethren presented themselves for the meeting and there were several glitches but we hope to overcome them by our next meeting in June.” 

’10’ is also a perfect number

• Ange Kenos comments on news conveyed at the Williamstown Lodge meeting: “I was interested in the advice we received that we are regarded by theHealth Department as a religion, in a sense, and thus we can have 10 people [attend].” Bob Jones replied: “Might be able to assemble 10 brethren to meet in a Masonic centre and stream to the other lodge members … one day soon.”

80 organisations helped

•  “Nearly 80 organisations – including hospitals, care homes, pharmacies, Derbyshire Constabulary and medical centres – have received thousands of items of personal protective equipment such as gloves, face masks and hand sanitiser,” reports the Buxton Advertiser (UK). “The PPE has been donated freely by members or purchased using funds from the Derbyshire Freemasons’ Provincial Grand Charity.”

Speaker at United Schools Mark Lodge• Keith Oberin PSGW, Secretary, emails: “United Schools Mark Lodge No 125 will be conducting a virtual Lodge meeting on Thursday, May 21, at 7:30pm.The Grand Lecturer RWor. Bro. Ian Brown PJGW will address the brethren on the ‘Ancient Symbols‘.

What’s On: online meetings

• Friday, May 15. 7.30pm. Grand Lodge Ceremonial Team. Zoom Meeting. Call Alan Tyndall, Grand Pursuivant Designate, for details.
• Saturday, May 16. 3pm. Old Scotch Collegians Lodge. Innovation Day. First presentation is by Bro. David Donnoli. He is now moving between 500 and 1000 units of hand sanitiser each week. He will talk about creating a successful online business.

• The second presentation is by qualified Sommelier Jackson who works in the wholesale wine industry and has been exploring online sales during the restaurant closures. Attire: Casual. LINK

With thanks to www.masonsconnect.com
Please advise us of online meetings, so we can publicise in FVNews.

World News
• Freemasons in Upminster (UK) have opened up their car park to National Health Service and other key workers who need to travel to London, so that they can leave their vehicles for free, reports Freemasonry Matters. “The Upminster Centre in Deyncourt Gardens is just metres away from the mainlinec2c station into Fenchurch St. It has 70 spaces and is policed with CCTV cameras and lighting 24 hours a day making it ideal for shift workers. Freemasonsare not expected to resume meetings until September so the car park will remain open for NHS workers throughout the shut down and it is hoped that as many as possible will use it over the coming critical months.”

Masonic Mailbag
• Graham Berry writes: “Well done to Jim Taylor and his team who won the Geelong Lodge of Unity and Prudence Trivia Night on Zoom, with ladies at their regular meeting; a great Lodge night. Well done to David Webb for being the host, and commiserations to Trevor Somerville on getting the wooden spoon. A great night of Freemasonry.“
• Bill Jones sends some encouraging words: “I appreciate being on the mail list.” Bill is Deputy Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Victoria.

Masonic Trivia
• The Leinster Marine Lodge NSW was founded on February 12, 1824, and was welcomed into the GL of NSW as Lodge No 1 whilst Lodge Antiquity was No 0. On the forming of the UGL of NSW, the numbering was changed, Antiquity became No 1 and Leinster Marine No 2. For the first 50 years the term of the WM was six months and in October 1874 the GL of Ireland approved the change to a one-year term.”
• Lux e Tenebriis Lodge was consecrated in Tasmania, completely comprised of blind men.
• The Collingwood Gold Mining Company was formed in the 1860s and ‘a shaft sunk through bluestone to a depth of more than 100 feet, at the south-east corner of Gipps St and Hoddle St, opposite the ‘Royal George‘, not far from the present Town Hall, which is on a basaltic bed.’ The Argus (Aug. 13, 1865) described the scene when a pennyweight of gold  was gleaned from the first half bucket of wash dirt brought through the shaft: Directly gold was found the workmen knocked off and no slight amount of dissipation followed. Crowds collected and the street was, during the afternoon, crowded with buggies full of anxious visitors eager to gather hints for a little speculation. It is worth telling that while the  secretary of the company was exhibiting the gold to theHonourable Colonial Secretary the precious morsels got spilt on the carpet and were not recovered. The company did not prosper and finally lapsed.

Masonic Wisdom
• “Freemasonry is an institution essentially philanthropic and progressive, which has for its basis the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. It has for its object the exercise of benevolence, the study of universal morality, and the practice of all the virtues”

Next issue on Monday morning
• The next issue of FVNews Daily will be published on Monday morning (May 18).

INFORMATION TO KNOWFVNews is published by Bro. Ash Long, Chair of the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action Team of Freemasons Victoria. 
Phone: 0450 399 932.
Web: www.FVNews.com.au Email: editor@FVNews.com.au
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