FVNews Daily. 
No 86. Wednesday, August 13, 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
• 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
• Friday, August 14. 7.30pm. Lara Lodge. Talk: Simon Campbell, ‘Online Security’. 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. 7pm. Earl of Dunmore Lodge.Speaker: David Gibbs (cousin of the Earl) will speak on the topic The WiderDunmore Clan. David is a director of the Freemasons Foundation. All welcome. LINK
• Tuesday, August 18. 7pm for 7.30pm. Admiral Collingwood Lodge. Online Social Meeting. 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.
• Wednesday, August 19. 7.30pm. Senior Grand Officers. Zoom. 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
• Friday, August 21. 7pm. Lodge of the Golden Fleece. Chris Craven, Deputy Grand Secretary (NSW and ACT), will conduct an exclusive tour of the Museum of Freemasonry in Sydney 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
• Thursday, September 3. 7.30pm. Killara Lodge. Business meeting. Speaker: Barry Minster on Electric Cars, specifically Tesla. 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
• Becoming A Mason (Part 2). Grand Lodge of Texas. LINK
• What Really Goes on Inside the Secretive World of the Freemasons? (ITV News). LINK
• A Look Inside The Scranton Masonic Temple (Pennsylvania).LINK

Vale Ron Neilson
• Lodge Devotion advises of the passing to the Grand Lodge Above of RWor. Bro. James Ronald ‘Ron’ Neilson.  “Ron is the first affiliatedFreemason in the State of Victoria known to have passed away from COVID-19,” says Damien Hudson. ” Ron was Master four times, in 1962, 1985, 1988, and 1989.
• “He joined Lodge Devotion in 1957, after having been Initiated in Victoria Park Lodge No 338 in 1953. He often held the office of Choir Master and was well known for singing at lodges. Ron had resided in a nursing home for about a decade, moving there because his health was failing. Several members had visited him there. It is over a decade since we saw  at an actual Lodge meeting, but as recently as a few weeks agoVWBRo Norm Pritchard had telephoned the nursing home to inquire after him. He may have been absent from Lodge for years, but he was often in the thoughts of those Brothers who knew him.”

Vale Harry Stuart
• We regret to advise of the passing to the Grand Lodge Above of Wor. Bro. Harold (Harry) Stuart PJGD of Antient York Lodge. He was aged 91, and reportedly died of COVID-19. Our sincere condolences to his son, Wor. Bro. Robert Stuart, and the family.

The Journal
• Ken Barnes writes: “It is a great pity that we no longer receive the Freemasons magazine as I was often able to leave it behind in waiting rooms.Some time ago my local postmaster made mention of the publication in my locked box and he asked the question and then became a joining member.We must show people who we are, so wear the pin everywhere. I even have it pinned to my cycle kit. This is who we are- this is what we do.”

• Editor replies: Thanks for the email, Ken. The Journal is a popular magazine, and it is put together to a high standard by the Marketing staff,Kelly Leventis and Mike King, and the Grand Secretariat. As I understand it, you can still elect (through the freemasonsvic.org.au website) to have a physical copy posted to you. I do. Obviously there are some changes during the COVID-19 lockdown: I do not think there will be too many medical waiting rooms anywhere, for quite some time into the future, that will stock copies of any pre-read magazines. 

Some Good Reading
• Felix Pintado, via Richard Elkington, sends this LINK to the latest 94-page copy of The Cable Tow, magazine of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines. “A well informed Mason makes for a better man,” says their Grand Master Agapito S. Suan Jr. LINK

Online Security
• Freemasons have an increased online presence during COVID-19, with members spending more time on computers. Simon Campbell will be delivering a talk at Lara Lodge at 7.30pm on Friday (Aug. 14), that will be a good opportunity to bring all up to speed on security issues. He will discuss issues such as online purchases, phishing emails, internet downloads and mobile device safety. Simon will keep his talk light and as non-technical as possible. LINK

Using Lockdown Downtime
• Lodge Secretaries: here is a job to delegate to your newest members, so that they can get to know other Lodge members. Print a copy of your members’ list from Salesforce. Some of your members will have birth-dates listed as January 1, because the exact date is unknown. Some members will not have a current email address listed. There is other information such as partner’s birthday, and details of children. Why not use the time up to the end of lockdown (hopefully in September) to conduct a mini ‘Census’ in every lodge.

Freemasons fund school purchases
•The Northern Scot reports: “Moray School Bank has received a timely donation from local Freemasons ahead of schools going back tomorrow. The school bank says it has seen more and more Moray families struggle this year with drops in household income as an impact of the pandemic. The resultant high demand comes as its funding has been hit after regular backers rerouted funds towards other pressing COVID-19response efforts.• “Debbie Kelly, development co-ordinator from the school bank, was delighted to receive a donation of £1000 from Ron Fowler, provincial grand master of the Freemasons of Moray and Nairn, on August 1. The funds came from the provincial grand lodge reserves after the suspension of all fundraising activity.” LINK

World News
•A Melton (UK) man who made a dramatic escape with his family from Hitler’s Nazis during the Second World War has died at the age of 81, reports the Melton Times. Eric Sylt went on to have a successful career in education as well as being a prominent local Rotarian and Freemason.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
• Bowie, James ‘Jim’ (1796-1836) – Jim Bowie was an American-born frontiersman and Mexican colonist who joined the so called ‘Texian’ forces during their struggle for the independence of Texas from Mexico. He is often credited with being the inventor of the famous ‘Bowie Knife’, although that accolade should go to his brother, Rezin Bowie. James Bowie had a well-deserved reputation for being a ferocious fighter, especially with a knife, yet despite his increasing fame he never talked about his exploits. Frontiersman Captain William Y. Lacey, who spent eight months living in the wilderness with Bowie, described him as a humble man who never used profanity or vulgarities.• “In the 21st Century, all that can be determined is that Jim Bowie was a most extraordinarily tough man indeed and well entitled to his world renowned status – It has to be said, “What an extraordinary individual.” During ‘The Battle of the Alamo’ on March 6, 1836, though severely ill with typhus at the time, Bowie died as bravely as he had lived, alongside other notable Freemasons, Davy Crockett and Jim Travis. Jim Bowie was a member of L’Humble Chaumiere Lodge No.19, Opelousas, Louisiana.- Timothy Horton

Masonic Knowledge
• Saturday night dance. Williamstown Masonic Hall, Electra St. Photographer: E. Green, c.1935-1945.

Masonic Wisdom
•  “Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations.” – Bro. Red Skelton

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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