FVNews Daily. 
No 26. Monday, May 18, 2020
From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action TeamFVNews Daily is also available at www.FVNews.com.au
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Vale Ernie Bell
• RWBro Ernie Bell PDGM passed away on Saturday morning (May 16) after a long period of health decline. Barry Minster, Grand Almoner, said: Erniewas a valued member of our society and will be mourned by many in Bendigo and across the state. Sympathies are extended to Lois and his family.” 
• Garry Sebo, Past Grand Master, said: “This is such sad news. What a wonderful man and Freemason he was! Pat and I consider ourselves so privileged to have been friends of his. I had the great pleasure of promoting him to PDGM a number of years ago. Pat and I send our most sincere condolences to Loisand their family.” 

When will we re-open?
• Anthony Bucca, Deputy Grand Master-Elect, answered a question on social media on Sunday about when Victorian lodges might re-open: “I will be chairing a committee which will investigate recovery from COVID-19 as far as lodges, our office and our members are concerned. Lots of issues to be considered including, health, insurance, legal and logistical matters such as social distancing and so forth. The Committee was only established last Thursday and hasn’t even met at this stage. Everything from risk, cleaning, sanitisers, catering etc., cost, ceremonial, buildings, and other relevant matters will be investigated. • “The Board and the Grand Secretariat will be guided by the Committee which will in turn be guided by our State Government and our Health Department. I personally imagine that a cautious approach will be adopted as we will not risk the health of our members. I can assure all Freemasons inVictoria that you will be kept fully informed of all developments. • “At this stage, no one has any idea when we will be able to meet again and any suggestion to the contrary is pure conjecture.  Please stay safe and remember that any spike in transmissions will set us back for some time.”

Grand Ceremonial Team meets
• A happy meeting was held on Friday night (May 17) by the incoming 2020-21 Grand Ceremonial Team. The meeting was organised by Alan Tyndall, Grand Pursuivant (Designate).

Virtual Table Lodge by Zoom
• Bruce Stockdale of the Mordialloc Lodge of Charity advises of the Virtual Table Lodge demonstration including Celebration of the Seven Toastswhich will be held by Zoom video-conferencing at 7pm for 7.30pm on Wednesday, May 27. Book HERE

Rain From Nowhere
• WATCH John Patterson recite Rain From Nowhere, as part of Freemasons Victoria Suicide Prevention Program HERE

Shropshire Masons donate £44,000
• The Shropshire Masonic Charitable Association, to which all local members contribute, set aside £10,000 to help deal with the virus. Many of the 36 individual lodges across the county have given a total of £7,500 and others have donated £6,800 to 12 different food banks. One Shrewsbury Lodge, theSalopian Lodge of Charity, has set aside a further sum of up to £20,000 to provide a van for the Shrewsbury Food Hub to replace their rental vehicle. Read more HERE

Androids, iPads donated to lonely

• Kind-hearted Freemasons from lodges across Inverclyde are making sure isolated older people can still get in touch with their families during lockdown. Lodges in the Renfrewshire West province teamed up to purchase eight Android tablets and 14 iPads for people who are unable to receive visits from friends and family. Read more HERE

Grand Rank: Become a Lord

•  An extremely rare Lordship of Masons title in Norfolk, UK – once held by Henry VIII – is soon to come up for auction at a staggering reserve price of £1 million GBP. The title applies to the manors of Walcott, Easthall and Westhall in the English county and is being sold by Noble Titles.

•  The purchaser will be getting four Lordships in one – besides the Lordship of the Manor of Masons for England. Any female partner will automatically become Lady of the Manor and three to six of their children would go on to hold the honouree Lord or Lady of Walcott, Easthall and Westhall. Read moreHERE

VE Day (May 8) remembered
• Freemasonry Matters told the story of war hero and Freemason, Squadron Leader Sydney (Syd) Clayton DSO, DFC and Bar, DFM. It is a story of unimaginable heroism; one of unparalleled devotion to service for his country, and ultimately, of heart-breaking tragedy. Sydney Clayton completed 145 operational sorties as a pilot and navigator (100 as a navigator and 45 as a pilot) during World War II. An average of 30 operational flights was considered to be highly impressive and Sydney Clayton was known as one of the most prolific British airmen of WW II. Following his formidable service, he joinedRectitude Lodge of Blackpool No 4122. Read more HERE.

What’s On: online meetings

• Monday, May 18. 9.30pm. Masonic Education Network (NSW). Tetracyts, The Altar and the Offering. Weekly Recap. LINK
• Tuesday, May 19. 7pm. Richmond Lodge. Weekly Online Meeting. EMAIL for an invitation
• Tuesday, May 19. 7.15pm. Brunswick United Lodge. Virtual Business Meeting. Speaker: Adrian Sutter, a founder of Swiss 8. Proactive mental tools for military veterans. LINK
• Friday, May 22. 7.30pm. Victorian Lodge of Research. Guest Speaker: John Molnar. ‘What Is Freemasonry For?’ LINK

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

World News
• Freemasons across Devon (UK) have provided £25,000 to support the county’s charities and organisations. Instead of gathering together with a glass of wine, they have had to send the money directly to the charities concerned, reports Devon Live.
• Rocky Mount Freemasons (Virginia, USA) delivered pizzas to feed the entire staff at Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital on May 6 to thank the workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Franklin News-Post.
• The Highbridge area Foodbank, which supports people in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge, has been given a £2000 boost. Amid record demand from local people during the Coronavirus pandemic, the Foodbank has received the generous boost from the Burnham-on-Sea Adult School charity, Burnham Freemasons, and the Provisional Grand Lodge. Burnham Freemasons have collected groceries from the town’s Tesco store. Read more HERE

Masonic Mailbag
• Sean Thomson comments on the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services suggesting that Freemasons use the guidelines on gathering that are issued to religions: “I don’t like the idea that we might act in line with the Health Department’s classification as a religion. I think instead, we should inform the Department that Freemasonry is not a religion and ask them to remove us from that classification.” 

Masonic Trivia
• The Colonial Police Act 1850 prohibited police from belonging to any political or secret society other than the Society of Freemasons.
• According to the Lodge Devotion website: “In China, about 300 B.C., Mencius wrote “A master Mason, in teaching his apprentices, makes use of the compasses and the square. Ye who are engaged in the pursuit of Wisdom, must also make use of the compasses and the square.” 
• The foundation stone of St Mary’s Catholic Church, Standishgate, Wigan in Ireland was laid on St Patrick’s Day, 1818. In his memoirs, James Millermentions that the lever and heavy maul used to lay the stone was presented to the Lodge of Sincerity in 1826 by the Master, John Bimson.
• In 1939 in Melbourne, newspapers widely reported on the ‘Masonic Jubilee in Victoria’ which was the celebration of the centenary of Masonic activities in the State. It was estimated that between 12,000 to 15,000 Freemasons, including over 100 interstate and international visitors, gathered in Melbourne to mark the event. Lord Huntingflield opened the 5th Australasian Masonic Conference during the week of celebrations which was attended by Freemasons including the Governor-General, Lords and “the ordinary man”. The week was also celebrated with the Installation of William James Byrne as the 15th Grand Master UGLV.

Masonic Wisdom
• One of the subjects of great interest to the Masonic student is that of Mason’s marks. These are found in great profusion both in the form of letters and geometrical designs, some of them apparently intended as proprietary marks, of the workmen who used them, and as symbolic marks. The first authentic documents on the regulation of marks are said to have been found in German ordinances in 1462. This does not prove, however, that there were not regulations preceding that date. One instance is known of a mark descended to the user from his father, who obtained it from the grandfather, “who received it from the Lodge“, It is an odd fact that there is no reference in the Old Constitutions of England to proprietary marks, and this phase of the subject is shrouded in uncertainty.

INFORMATION TO KNOW
FVNews 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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