FVNews Daily. 
No 81. Thursday, August 6, 2020
From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action TeamFVNews Daily is also available at www.FVNews.com.au
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NEW! What’s On
Please notify us about your event. Email: editor@FVNews.com.au
• Thursday, August 6. 1.45pm. Online funeral service for VWor. Bro. Geoffrey William Treanor, PGIWkgs. LINK
• Thursday, August 6. 7.30pm. Ivanhoe Grammarians Lodge Meeting. Zoom. All welcome. LINK
• Thursday, August 6. 7.30pm. Clifton Hill Lodge.Focus on well being of lodge members. Includes. a whip around to all members. Microsoft Teams platform. All welcome. LINK
• Sunday, August 9. 4.30pm. 2020 Grand Lodge Ceremonial Team Meeting. Zoom. All team members welcome, including ladies. LINK
• Monday, August 10. 7pm. Lodge of Commerce. RWor. Bro Ian Brown, Membership VAT, will give a 15-20 min presentation on the relevance of the Mark degree to Craft Masons, dress casual. All welcome. LINK
• Tuesday, August 11. 7pm. Richmond Lodge. Includes ‘Who Am I?” segment. Pre-register by Sunday at EMAIL and LINK
• Tuesday, August 11. 7.45pm for visitors. Colac Lodge. Guest Speaker: RWor. Bro. Robert Pullin: ‘Freemasonry and Music.” All welcome. LINK
• Wednesday, August 12. 7.30pm. Ange Kenos, Grand Lodge Librarian. Monthly Presentation. All welcome. LINK
• Thursday, August 13. Board of General Purposes meeting. For Board members.• Thursday, August 13. 7.30pm. Central Highlands District. ‘Introduction to the Kabbalah’ presentation by Bro. Thomas Mikeska. All welcome.LINK
• Friday, August 14. 7.30pm. Gregorios Lodge. Business Meeting. Guest Speaker: Bro. Ioannis (John) Michanetzis on his Naval career, especially in the Hellenic Navy. All welcome. LINK

NEW! Videos
• What’s It Like To Be A Freemason. WATCH
• Make A Profound Impact. Masonic Foundation, California. WATCH
• Masonic Ceremony, 1910-1919. Silent. WATCH

Communications Success Stories

• Gippsland Lakes Lodge has won more media publicity in the local newspaper, the Lakes Post. This clipping is about the Lodge’s strong support of Gippsland Lakes Complete Health for several years. Their first support program was the Mums and Bubs’ program, which is here depicted in an article sponsored by GLCH and thanking Freemasons Victoria for their supportThink Pink calendar
• Think Pink Foundation – a centre for wellbeing for those with breast cancer – has been enthusiastically supported by Freemasons Victoria. Ron Smith advises of the August calendar. LINK

From Mitchell River Lodge
• Jim Basham of Mitchell River Lodge, Bairnsale, writes to FVNews Daily: “Just a quick note to say thank you for your continuing excellent work on FVNews.It now serves very well, additionally, as a “macro” for generating the now increasing “micro” communications among Freemasons inVictoria – a critically important role.”

Freemasons take to the Avon
• “”Fund-raising freemasons have taken to the River Avon to raise money for charities across Warwickshire,” reports Leamington Observer(UK). “Steve Warner from Coventry and Ian Slesser from Lincolnshire are canoeing from Bubbenhall to Tewkesbury over four days to support the Warwickshire 2023 Festival – a masonic charity initiative which will see proceeds split across local deserving causes.• “But the journey is particularly gruelling for Steve, who earlier this year underwent surgery in January to replace pins in his hip and leg – the legacy of a motorcycle accident in his youth –- previously had a kidney transplant and is diabetic.” LINK

Processes for Applicants
• Damien Hudson advises: “Based on feedback, the office of Grand Lodge will now telephone screen inquiry, and unless there are extenuating positive circumstances around an Applicant, prior to being sent to District they will have a Second Schedule Part A, Code of Conduct and Police Check. District will no longer deal with “Expressions of Interest” but Applicants for Freemasonry. We will have a common-sense and flexible approach.”

World News
• “As Wells Cathedral reopens its doors, Somerset Freemasons is supporting its charitable appeal with a £10,000 donation,” says In Your Area. “During its three months of closure, some 70,000 people have been unable to visit Wells Cathedral. As a result, it now faces a real financial challenge.To help with this, a ‘Bounce Back‘ appeal has been launched, together with a sponsored pilgrimage. The proceeds of this pilgrimage will be shared between St Margaret’s Hospice and the Cathedral appeal. Somerset’s leading freemasons, David Medlock and Barry Woodside, said: “All during lockdown, freemasons have supported their local communities, often unnoticed.” LINKLearning Zoom. Part 4
• Paul Brennand, Membership VAT Chair, says: “Connecting to the meeting: Click, type or cut-and-paste the emailed link into a web browser. If you do not have Zoom software on your computer, you may be prompted to install it with a link to the download site (https://zoom.us/support/download). 
• Note: allow a minimum of 5 minutes to install Zoom software. After installing software, use the meeting link and password again to enter the meeting, if not automatically admitted or if prompted. • After clicking on the meeting link emailed after registering, your device will show that you are being connected and it may take some time. If you have not used Zoom before, you will most likely be asked to enter your name. Your name will then be shown (with your picture, if your camera is turned-on) on the screen.  When you first connect you will be placed in a ‘waiting room’ and will then be admitted into the meeting. • Once you have entered the meeting you can switch between – ‘Speaker View‘, where you only see the current speaker (recommended option for this meeting) or ‘Gallery View‘, where you will see many participants at the same time.  If you are having patchy connection quality you might turn-off your camera (click camera button at bottom-left of screen), which might improve the quality – you will still be able to see everything, but your image will not be visible to others. 

Masonic Mailbag
• Damien Hudson writes: “I like the new format (and it is good to still include the “members only” meetings for the VATs so people know there is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes).”
• Damien continues: “I know a man was initiated at Victorian Naval and Military last December at the age of 77. Congrats Bro. Zak EA. HoweverBro. Zak might not hold the record for the oldest initiate over the last couple of years. I wonder if your readers can tell us?”

More Masonic Mailbag
• Mervyn Hallam writes: “Your last article almost sounded like an apology for putting your job first yesterday, Believe me Brother, not required.  Your newsletter as always was particularly informative today and it’s great to see how the various Lodges are coping with our current situation. I’ve watched all of the video attachments and was extra pleased to hear the discussion between the WA and NZ Grand Masters.  We can learn from each other and it’s good to hear the co-operation that we might not otherwise hear. Keep it up.”

About our What’s On Guide
• Our aim is to construct a daily What’s On guide for Freemasons Victoria. The guide will initially be at this www.FVNews.com.au website, and we hope to then integrate it at the Freemasons Victoria website. As part of the ‘One Voice’ strategy plan of our VAT, we want to establish the organisation’s official guide to include every Lodge meeting and event. 
• Lodges can assist be sending emails about every lodge meeting and event to editor@FVNews.com.au Please include us on your Lodge Summons mailing list.
• Members across Victoria can assist by volunteering to work from their own home to proactively contact Lodges by email and phone so that we can present the most up-to-date and accurate information. To volunteer, please send an email to editor@FVNews.com.au

Famous Freemasons
• Besant, Sir Walter (1836-1901) – Walter Besant was a novelist and historian who lived largely in London. A dedicated Freemason, he served as Master Mason in the Marquis of Dalhousie Lodge, London from 1873. Together with ‘Jack the Ripper’ investigator, Sir Charles Warren, he conceived the idea of a Masonic lodge of research, the Quatuor Coronati Lodge No.2076, of which he was first Treasurer from 1886. He was Treasurer of the ‘Atlantic Union’, an association which sought to improve social relations between Britons and Americans.
– Timothy Horton

More Famous Freemasons
• Eddie Levey of the Mildura Lodge writes:  Best Wines vignerons founded the vineyards that traded as  Seppelts Great Western Wines. Bro. Joseph Best (1830-1887) and his brother Bro. Henry Best (1832-1913) are mentioned as Freemasons.•  McWilliams Wines wine maker Bro. Max McWilliam was initiated in the Robinvale Lodge No. 684.• Stanton and Killeen Wines. Both Jack Stanton (1895-1989) and Norman Killeen (1919-2004) were members of the Rutherglen Lodge No.188.

Masonic Knowledge
• J. Edgar Hoover certainly was a Freemason. Director of the FBI, 1935 – 1972, all of his Masonic affiliations were in Washington, D.C.  Bro. J. Edgar Hoover was a member of Federal Lodge No. 1, Washington D.C.  He was a charter member of Justice Lodge No. 46 in Washington, D.C.  He was both a York Rite Mason, and a 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason.  He was also a Shriner – a member of Almas Shrine.

Masonic Wisdom
•  “There is something addictive about secrets.” – Bro. J. Edgar Hoover

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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