FVNews Daily. 
No 71. Wednesday, July 22, 2020
From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action TeamFVNews Daily is also available at www.FVNews.com.au
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Can you assist?
• Stephen Michalak, Past Grand Master of South Australia, writes: “A SA brother’s wife has a nephew from Poland, who has been left abandoned by his friends, during COVID-19 in Bendigo. He is 30 years old and I understand speaks English well.  He is looking for a place to stay and can pay rent.  It is a difficult time for all Victorians.• “From personal experience, I remember how often brethren asked me to intercede for practical assistance on their behalf while I was GM. If anyFreemason could let me know if there is any practical assistance we could give the young man, it would be something special … especially as he is a Pole (like me).” EMAIL

Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund
• Richard Elkington, Grand Master, advises: “I’ve been advised by Doug Caulfield, one of the Committee members of GERF, that allFreemasons contributions have been expended on stock-feed and fencing.

Transitory Masonic Alphabet
• Richard Burman, Secretary of The Old Melburnians Lodge No. 317, advises is that after a welcome (7.15pm), business meeting (7.30pm), at 7.45pm on Tuesday, August 4, there will be Masonic Education (Transitory Masonic Alphabet A through Z) and South. LINK

Grand Discussion
• Peter Kirwan, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Western Australia, Paul Holland, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Queensland, have a grand discussion in this podcast. LINK

Bus presentation at Sale

• Pictured: Rodney Lavin and Richard Elkington on Monday
• Freemasons Foundation Victoria and Turnbull Toyota, Gippsland Lodge No. 51 and Sale Daylight Lodge handed over a new bus to Sale and District Specialist School on Monday (July 20). This was the culmination of more than 12 months of work, starting with the 2nd Annual Charity Golf Classic held in March last year, and the wood and pot belly raffle that the Lodge ran.”
(Thanks Liam Cole for this information.)

Royal Freemasons report
• “Families of residents at two Royal Freemasons homes in Bendigo [have raised]  concerns about how roster reforms could affect their loved ones, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic,” reports the Bendigo Advertiser. “Royal Freemasons on Monday said it was redistributing hours and roles, with changes affecting all parts of the organisation.
• “Chief executive Kerri Rivett called on the Federal Government to “fund aged care appropriately to enable us to deliver care and services that reflect what our residents and their loved ones want.” Rosters at Royal Freemasons homes in both Flora Hill and Kangaroo Flat are being adjusted by 6.5 per cent “to ensure sustainability now and into the future”,” said the report. LINK

Freemasons, Banknotes and Postage Stamps (1)
• Gary Edwards writes: “In 1912, following Federation, the Australian Prime Minister Andrew Fischer seconded Bro. Thomas Samuel Harrison [TS2] from secure printers, Waterlow of London, to establish the design and production of our Commonwealth’s first banknotes. Following his arrival here TS2 designed and engraved our first range of  Commonwealth banknotes. These were inscribed with the words “T.S. Harrison Australian Note Printer” on the lower margin. Printing of much greater numbers of banknotes soon became an urgent requirement, to fund our pending WWI effort.
• “However, following the PM’s dissatisfaction with our first Commonwealth postage stamp, the J.B. Cooke designed ‘Kangaroo’, TS2’s role was soon extended to include the design, engraving and production of all our postage stamps. The first of the many TS2 Australian stamps were the ‘King George V’ and the ‘Laughing Kookaburra‘ series. Both were designed by his youngest son, my maternal grandfather, Ronald Arthur Harrison [RAH], and engraved by TS2. RAH later designed many other Australian stamps, including the 1927 ‘Canberra Lady‘ which includes an image of his wife Sylvia, my grandmother.”

Freemasons, Banknotes and Postage Stamps (2)
• Gary Edwards continues: “On  July 27, 1925, TS2 was initiated into Prince Edward Lodge No 349 with his eldest son, Frank Thomas Harrison. TS2’s father Thomas Samuel Harrison 1 [TS1], senior engraver with the Bank of England, was also a Freemason. • “It’s also understood that TS1’s great grandfather William Harrison, and his great, great grandfather John “Longitude” Harrison, inventor of the chronometer, were Freemasons. William Harrison’s manuscript of the chronometer’s testing is held in our State Library of Victoria.”

Masonic Mailbag
• Andrew Power responds to an item in FVNews Daily last week: “Of course Masonry existed in Egypt … Egyptians were the first to accurately measure the circumference of the world.  The Square, (originally called a Try Square) was used by artisans of the day to create perfect 90 degree angles. Interestingly, to create the right angle in the creation of these Try Squares, artisans would use a pair of compasses to measure it out.• “While Babylonians left enough history of their advanced mathematics with the Plimpton 322, Egyptians lost much of their historical records in the destruction of the Library of Alexandria courtesy of Julius Caesar in 48BC.”

What’s On: online meetings
• www.masonsconnect.com
•  Matt Cameron writes: “Resources are available at  https://www.masonsconnect.com include upcoming online meetings, recordings of online meetings, Q&A about how to do an online meeting, comparison of online platforms for doing a Lodge meeting, and more.”

Famous Freemasons
• Bathurst, Charles – 1st Viscount Bledisloe (1867-1958) – Born in London and educated at Eton and Oxford, Charles Bathurst, a qualified barrister, became a Member of Parliament and served as a Privy Councillor to King George V. For his services to King and country during and post-World War I he was made a Knight Grand Cross and, in 1930, appointed Governor-General of New Zealand.• “As Lord Bledisloe, Charles Bathurst arrived in his new post at the very start of the Great Depression but handled his position well and, being a man of social conscience, became well liked and respected by all who met him. He contributed greatly to the improvement of Pakeha – Maorirelations and, as a mark of the respect he held for the Maori king, purchased the site on which ‘The Treaty of Waitangi’ was signed and, in 1934,Bathurst presented the land to the nation as a memorial.© “A tremendous aficionado of rugby union, and enjoying the friendly rivalry constantly in vogue between Australia and New Zealand, in 1931 Lord Bledisloe conceived the idea of a rugby trophy competition over which the two nations could fight. In 1932, the first of three ‘Bledisloe Cup’ matches were played in Australia where the All Blacks emerged victorious and, since that date, the Kiwis have won the cup 40+ times. Physically the Bledisloe Cup is the largest trophy in rugby: it was designed in New Zealand by Nelson Isaac and crafted in London by prestigious jewellers,Walker & Hall. Lord Bledisloe was a dedicated Freemason and, during his tenure as Governor- General, he served as the Grand Master of theNew Zealand Constitution (1930-33).” 

More Famous Freemasons
• Eddie Levey of the Mildura Lodge writes: “Bi-Focals were invented by Bro. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) who was initiated in the Masonic Lodge of St John’s in Philadelphia in 1731.• “The co-founder of the ‘Apple Mac‘ computer was Bro.Steve Wozniak, initiated in 1980 in the Charity Lodge” No.362, California, America.

Masonic Knowledge
• Encyclopaedia Britannica lists Freemasonry as a “secret organisation”.

Masonic Wisdom
•  “I set great store in certain qualities which I believe to be essential in addition to skill. They are that the person conducts his or her life with dignity, with integrity, courage, and perhaps most of all, with modesty.” – Bro. Sir Don Bradman

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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