FVNews Daily. 
No 84. Tuesday, August 11, 2020
From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action TeamFVNews Daily is also available at www.FVNews.com.au
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UPDATED DAILY! What’s On
Please notify us about your event. Email: editor@FVNews.com.au
• Tuesday, August 11. 7pm. Richmond Lodge. Includes ‘Who Am I?” segment. Pre-register by Sunday at EMAIL and LINK
• Tuesday, August 11. 7.30pm. West Wimmera Holy Royal Arch Chapter. Business meeting. Zoom. Presentation: Holy Royal Arch, by Peter White. 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. 7pm. Monash Lodge. Speaker: Peter Gurr, First Grand Principal of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Victoria. All welcome. LINK
• Wednesday, August 12. 7.30pm. Ange Kenos, Grand Lodge Librarian. Monthly Presentation. All welcome. LINK
• Wednesday, August 12. 7.30pm. Williamstown Lodge. Guest speaker: Garry Runge, Grand Secretary. All welcome. LINK
• Thursday, August 13. Board of General Purposes meeting. For Board members.
• Thursday, August 13. 7pm. Union Lodge of North Gippsland (Bairnsdale). All welcome. LINK• 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
• Saturday, August 15. 7.30pm. Lodge of Evolution. Speaker: John Molnar on ‘What Is Freemasonry For?’. All welcome. LINK
• Monday, August 17. 11am. Membership VAT Team Leads Meeting. Members.
• Monday, August 17. 7.30pm. Gippsland Lakes Lodge (Lakes Entrance). All welcome. LINK
• Monday, August 17. 7.30pm. King David Lodge. Speaker: Garry Sebo, ‘My Time as a Grand Master and a Freemason, A Retrospective’. All welcome. LINK
• Tuesday, August 18. 7.30pm. Membership Volunteer Action Team. Members only. 
• Tuesday, August 18. 7.30pm. Hamilton Grange Lodge. First Virtual Business Meeting on Zoom. Speaker: John Patterson, Freemasons Foundation Victoria Limited Board Member. LINK
• Wednesday, August 19. 10.30am. VAT Leaders’ Meeting. Members.
• Thursday, August 20. 7pm. Prospect Hill Mark Lodge. Talk by Kent Henderson: ‘English Mark and Ark, different, but the same.’ MMM welcome. LINK
• Thursday, August 20. 7pm. Rupertswood Numurkah Lodge. All welcome. Link to come.
• Friday, August 21. 7pm. Bairnsdale Daylight Lodge. Including congratulations to David Provan on the presentation of his 60 years Service Award. All welcome. LINK
• Saturday, August 22. 7pm. Victorian Lodge of Research. Open Lectures. ‘Freemasonry in the Colony of Victoria’ by Brendan Kyne. All welcome. LINK
• Saturday, August 22. 7.20pm. Central and Western Districts. Ladies’ Lockdown Dinner Night. $25 per couple for fundraiser. BOOK
• Friday, August 28. 7.30pm. Victorian Lodge of Research. Talk: Brendan Kyne, ‘Foundations Stones and Early Lodge Buildings of Melbourne’. All welcome. LINK
• Saturday, September 5. 10 am-12 Noon. Preparation for Master course. Limited positions. Contact: Geoff Newby. EMAIL
• Saturday, September 5. 9.30am-3pm. Secretary’s Course. By Barry Reaper and Eric Williams. Morning Session LINK and Afternoon SessionLINK
• Saturday, September 12. 10 am-12 Noon. Preparation for Master course. Limited positions. Contact: Geoff Newby. EMAIL
• Saturday, September 19. 10 am-12 Noon. Preparation for Master course. Limited positions. Contact: Geoff Newby. EMAIL

NEW! Videos
• Grand Master’s Message (Aug. 10, 2020). WATCH
• Builders of Dreams. WATCH
• Inside Access to Manhattan’s Very Own Masonic Temple. WATCH

Independent review
• Grand Master Richard Elkington has asked Board of General Purposes President Myles King to initiate an external independent review of policies and practices to provide Freemasons Victoria with a clear picture of how we stand in relation to the principles of good governance, leadership and organisational performance. 
• Part of Richard’s statement was: “I have talked about what I would like to see in Freemasonry in Victoria. Part of that vision is greater transparency and openness in our dealings with each other. Of course, this is a noble sentiment and one brimming with good intent. However, as we all know, it is meaningless unless backed by action.• “That sentiment aligns with a pledge I made back in March to conduct a full and open inquiry into allegations of bullying and bad behaviour. I believe that now is the time to take action to ensure that when the world emerges from these dark times we will walk together, and gather again, in a new era of understanding.” The GM’s STATEMENT has been emailed to all those members who have registered an email address with Grand Lodge. Or WATCH the Grand Master’s video.

Vale Bill Bassett
•  Don Boyd writes: “It is with much sadness that I advise the passing of Wor. Bro. Bill Bassett PGStdB, aged 88 years, on Friday, August 7. Billwas the Almoner of the Blackburn United Lodge No. 915. Bill lived respected and died regretted. Condolences to Ethel and Kim. RIP Bill.”

‘Think Pink’ Video
• Ron Smith provides a LINK to the Birds of The Bay app produced for Think Pink.

Hard copies for members
• Freemasons Victoria is concerned that some members who do not use the internet are not “left behind” with a timely flow of information. With an average age of 68, there are some Freemasons who do not regularly use email or the internet. The Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action Team will produce FVNews Monthly Review, starting later this month. It will be a PDF document, emailed to Lodge Secretaries, as they see fit, to print and distribute to those members. It will be another ‘excuse’ for Lodges to keep in contact with members, and check on their welfare, either by hand-delivering a copy (‘contactless’ during COVID-19) or mailing it.
• The Monthly Review will be in addition to the Daily newsletter, fortnightly Electronic Direct Messages (EDMs) including Engage, and the quarterly Journal.

Masonic Routine
• Paul Brennand, Membership VAT Chair, says: “What about those other things we do? Keeping in touch with our widows and those less able to care for themselves. Also, fundraising activities. Just because we are at home, the world and its needs continue, and maybe this is a time to reach out to some needy folk and prepare some campaigns for when we are all back.• “Although much of the State is urged not to move about at the moment, things will change as the situation improves. We can plan for some physical get togethers in any number of locations as time circumstances and regulations permit. We absolutely must have as our pre-eminent priority the health and well-being of our members and their families, so any activities must be planned within the then current guidelines – but let’s be optimistic and plan for some improvements to come.”
World News•The Shropshire Star reports: “Shifnal scouts will get back to face-to-face meetings next month, with a new flag and flagpole at the centre of their activities. The scouts have been having online meet ups through the lockdown but have been given the go-ahead to hold events, outdoors, in September.Group leader, Michelle Gough, said that to mark the return, the Idsall Lodge of Freemasons had donated a flagpole to the local organisation.”LINK

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
• Borgnine, Ernest (born: Ermes Effron Borgnino) (1917-2012 ) – Ernest Borgnine was a skilled film and television actor, receiving in 1955 the Best Actor Oscar for his lead role in the film Marty. He was more famously known to a generation of television fans for his role as the Skipper inMcHale’s Navy. Borgnine generously served Freemasonry and was the Honorary Chairman of a program to support the ‘Scottish Rite Childhood Language Centre’ in Richmond. Ernest Borgnine was initiated into Abingdon Lodge No.48, California, and there is evidence that he was also a member of Melrose Lodge No.63 in California. Frankly, it can be said that Ernest Borgnine was an exceptional member of the Craft.
– Timothy Horton

More Famous Freemasons
• Eddie Levey of the Mildura Lodge writes: “Before retiring you make a cup of Milo invented by Bro.Thomas Mayne (1901-1995) who was initiated into Lodge King Edward No.189, meeting in Maffra in 1923. He later affiliated with the Lodge Ermington No.667 in New South Wales.• To have with your Milo, you select a Swallows Biscuit manufactured by Bro. Thomas Swallow (1823-1890) founder of the Swallow and Arielbiscuits of Sandridge, Port Melbourne. He was a member of the Sandridge Marine Lodge No. 21. He helped found the Sandridge Freemasons Lodge, Port Melbourne.

Masonic Knowledge
• In France, the 1737 lecture of Chevalier Ramsay added the crusaders to the lineage. He maintained that Crusader Masons had revived the craft with secrets recovered in the Holy Land, under the patronage of the Knights Hospitaller. At this point, the “history” of the craft in Continental Freemasonry diverged from that in England.

Masonic Wisdom
•  “Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.” – Bro. Franklin D. Roosevelt

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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