FVNews Daily.  
COMBINED EDITION
No. 125. Monday-Tuesday, October 19-20, 2020

• From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action Team

• Email: editor@FVNews.com.au.au or Ash@Long.com.au
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• FVNews Daily is also available at the website: www.FVNews.com.au
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What’s On (43 listings)
UPDATED DAILY.

Please notify us about your event. 
Please include date, time, talk details, attire, and a link.
Email: editor@FVNews.com.au

Monday, October 19
• 7pm. Gippsland Lakes Lodge. Talk: Garry Runge, ‘Day in the working life of the Grand Secretary’. LINK
• 7pm. Goulburn Valley Mark Lodge, and Tatura Royal Ark Mariners. Talk: Robert Redman, ‘Thoughts on the Historical Origins Of The Mark Degree Based on an Article by W.Bro. David Barrett’. LINK
• 7.30pm. Lodge of Good Companions. 10-minute talk: Gary Beven, Parliament House, Canberra. LINK
• 7.30pm. Masonic Caravan Club of Victoria. Meeting. LINK
• 7.30pm. Warrnambool Lodge. Talk: Neil Smith, Winter In Norway. LINK
• 7.30pm. Williamstown Chapter. Companions only to attend. Explanation of the new ritual workings. Attire: Smart Casual. LINK

• 8pm. Gippsland Forest Lodge. Visitors admitted at 8pm. Talk: Rod Findlay, ‘Experience and role as the Victorian Police Forward Commander, leading the emergency response immediately after the Mallacoota bush fires in January this year.” LINK

Tuesday, October 20

• 10am. Lodge of the Great Ocean Road. Talk: John ‘Nobby’ Forster, ‘The Rabbit King’. Zoom Log-In: 824 152 8207.
• 7pm. Footscray St John’s Lodge. Talk: Masonic Symbolism and Tracing Boards based on Kirk MacNaulty’s 2012 video lecture and a summary of his published books. The presentation will include philosophical symbolism of the three tracing boards and the working tools. As there may be other degrees present, there will be no mention of masonic ‘passwords or signs’. LINK
• 7.30pm. Hamilton Grange. Talk: Ian Brown, Engagement Committee, Membership. LINK
• 7.30pm. Lowan Lodge. Talk: Barry Minster, ‘Electric Cars’. Attire: Smart Casual. LINK
• 7.30pm. Southern Cross Chapter. October Convocation, Talk: Ruary Bucknall, Changes to Ritual, EMM and Exaltation. Companions only. Attire: Casual. LINK
• 7.30pm. St Andrews In The South. Talk: Craig Farrington, ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles – well, models anyway.’ Attire: Smart Casual. LINK

Wednesday, October 21

• 7pm. Grand Lodge Library/Museum Talks. ‘A Discussion on Masonic Etiquette’. LINK

Thursday, October 22

•7.30pm. Communications and Volunteer Action Team. Members only. LINK to come. 
• 7.30pm. Creswick Havilah Lodge. Talk: Brendan Kyne, ‘Chaps, Rogues, Orangemen, Catholics’. Attire: Neat casual, dinner suit if you wish. EMAIL FOR LINK
• 7.30pm. Leura Lodge. Talk: Randy Walton, ‘Process and History of the American Presidential Election’. LINK

• 7.45pm. Royal Ark Mariner Bayside trio meeting. Talk: Craig Spendlove, ‘In the Footsteps of Noah’. Current MMM, Former MMM, Current RAM, Former RAM only. LINK

Friday, October 23

• 7.30pm. Malvern-Waverley Lodge of Mark Master Masons No 39. Talk” Craig Spendlove, ‘Historical Origins of the Mark Degree’. meeting is not restricted to Mark Master Masons and all other Freemasons are welcome to attend. LINK

• 7.30pm. Victorian Lodge of Research. Talk: Fred Shade, ‘The Oddfellows – Their Origin, History and Ritual’. LINK

Saturday, October 24

• 9.30am-3pm. Secretaries’ Course. Hosted by Eric Williams and Barry Reaper. Register for both morning and afternoon sessions. MORNING andAFTERNOON

• 2pm. Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Victoria. Video Event in place of Annual Assembly which cannot be held due to COVID-19 lockdown. LINK

• 5pm. Concord Mark. Talk: Craig Spendlove, ‘Importance of the Mark Lodge’. For Master Masons and above. Attire: Casual. LINK

Monday, October 26

• 7.30pm. (8pm: Visitors). Spring Vale Lodge. Virtual tour: Grand Lodge of England, Freemasons Hall. Attire: White shirt, Lodge tie and jacket. LINK

Tuesday, October 27

• 7.30pm. Middle Park Lodge. Talk, musical performance: Dr David Kram, ‘Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth through the eyes of composers and singers who were Freemasons.’ Attire: Dinner Suit. LINK 
• 7.30pm. Northern United Chapter. Talk: Craig Spendlove, ‘Cyrus – The Man and The Myth’. LINK

• 7.45pm. Lodge Epicurean. Talks: Peter Gumley on his Isolation rehabilitation and Armen Mardirousi, Secretary of North Hollywood Lodge No. 542 to talk about his own Masonic journey, Hollywood lodge and starting a lodge in California. LINK

Wednesday, October 28

• 7.30pm.Lodge Fraternal. Talk: ‘The Shriners’. LINK to come.
• 8pm. GregoriosLodge. OXI Day. Greek ‘No’ Day Commemorative Ceremony. Includes Grand Master. Guests’ attire: casual. LINK

Thursday, October 29

• 7.30pm. Endeavour Lodge. Talk: Brendan Kyne, ‘Chaps, Rogues, Orangemen and Catholics’. LINK TBA

Friday, October 30

• 7pm.Earl of Dunmore Lodge. Talk: Ben Quick, ‘Order of the Free Gardeners’. Visit by Lodge of the Golden Fleece. Brethren, partners and visitors welcome. LINK
• 7.30pm. Kilwinning Mark Lodge of Research No 2. Talk: Craig Spendlove, ‘Craftsman Marks’. 

Saturday, October 31

• 7.30pm. Blue Lounge Social Club Education Forum: Cryptic Masonry: The Order of Royal and Select Masters. All Freemasons welcome. LINK

Monday, November 2

• 7pm (7.30pm: Visitors). Oakleigh Mark Lodge. Business Meeting. Talk: Craig Spendlove, ‘India -The Raj, Mysticism and Masonry’. LINK

Thursday, November 5

• 7pm (7.30pm: Guests).Killara Lodge. Talk: Barry Watson, ‘The Last 100 Days of World War I.’ LINK
• 7.30pm. Ivanhoe Grammarians Lodge. LINK to come.

Saturday, November 7

• 7pm. Blue Lounge Social Club. Forum: ‘Why Freemasonry is an organisation worth joining in the 21st Century’. LINK

Monday, November 9

• 7pm. Lodge of Commerce. Vacant Chair Ceremony. LINK to come.

Thursday, November 12

• 7pm. Masons Connect. Sharing Freemasonry Meeting. RSVP
• 7pm for 7.30pm. Antient York. Talk: John Glover, ‘The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Power Point production of the Vacant Chair Ceremony. Attire: Jacket and tie. LINK to come.

Friday, November 13

• 7.30pm. Altona Lodge. Talk: Brendan Kyne, ‘Guided Tour of the Victorian Lodge of Research Portal’. Attire: members collared shirt and tie, visitors smart casual. LINK

Thursday, November 19

• 7pm. Prospect Hill Mark. Interview with Peter Gurr, First Grand Principal, Grand Chapter. Attire: members jacket and tie, visitors smart casual. Open to non-Mark brethren. LINK

Tuesday, November 24

• 7pm. Lodge Amalthea. Talk: Chris White, ‘Freemasonry and the Goat’. LINK

Monday, November 30

• 7pm. Oakleigh Council, Royal and Select Masters. Talk: David Yole. All members past and present of the Order, in addition members of other Orders. Attire: Casual. LINK

Videos

• Richard Elkington and Myles King. (14:30) WATCH
• 68 Bikes Awarded. (02:01) WATCH
• Masonic Memories (Michigan). (05:40) WATCH

Vale John Tillett

• We regret to advise of the passing to the Grand Lodge Above of RWor. Bro. John Tillett PSGW. He was a member of Lodge of Welcome, whose members have extended condolences to Shirley and family.

What Does Best Behaviour Mean?

• There were more than 50 replies to a Freemasons Victoria Chat survey of members at the weekend. We asked: “What do you see as the qualities of Masonic Best Behaviour?”
• In alphabetical order, some of the qualities were listed as: Accountability, Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, Caring, Charity, Cohesion, Compassion, Dignity, Empathy, Equality, Fairness, Fortitude, Fraternity, Friendship, Fun, Giving, Good Deeds, Goodwill, Honesty, Humility, Inclusion, Integrity, Morality, Mutual Support, Positive Instruction, Prudence, Quality, Respect, Selflessness, Silence, Sincerity, Tolerance, Trust, and Truth.

President joins with Grand Master
• Myles King, President of the Freemasons Victoria Board of General Purposes, has joined with Richard Elkington, Grand Master, to record a VIDEO (14:30) with a range of current topics. WATCH

Contact Tracing (1)
• Brian Pham writes: “I am a Fellow Craft from the Old Meburnians. We created a COVID-19 business management tool which helps with Contact Tracing. But we did it on a whim to give back to the Australian community because we saw pen and paper being used and passed along hundreds of people a day and only private hospitals and schools were using enterprise software solutions because they were funded.
• “Hospitality were using paid non-ideal solutions from international vendors and we thought we could make one better and give it back to the community for free. So that’s what we did. We created a platform called COVIDTracer which was featured in the Herald Sun and other Australian media outlets last month.”

Contact Tracing (2)
• Brian Pham continues: “We did this as a not-for-profit community incentive, and it took off faster than we could have imagined. We had people asking for integrations to their factories, and extra features. We released subscriptions for additional features to help recuperate our development costs. We even created a version of our application for the NSW Government as our platform was a more ideal solution for Contact Tracing than their own app released by NSW Service.
• “We wanted to help give back to the community and allow people to reopen by using our platform as a COVID-19 business plan instead of the Government messing it up over again. It shows the Masonic spirit of giving back to the community. And hopefully, we can continue to get the amazing support we’ve been receiving.” LINK

Volunteers Required
• Royal Freemasons is seeking volunteers to assist in low-risk, critical work that will help care for loved ones. Royal Freemasons is looking for anyone 18 years or older who would like to assist with visitor entry screening processes, which includes taking temperatures, contact details and asking screening questions of anyone attending the homes.
• Full training will be provided by skilled and dedicated staff. You will be provided with a face mask and face shield that must be worn at all times. A Police check will be required but the cost will be fully covered by Royal Freemasons. Shifts required are from 9am-12 Noon and 1pm-4pm. EMAIL

Have you ordered your Face Masks?
• Myles King advises that you can order your Masonic Face Mask for just $9.95 each which includes postage and handling. The project is being run by the Blue Ribbon Foundation. Every dollar goes to public hospitals. They are custom-made, triple-layer face masks with a polyester outer featuring the Freemasons logo and a quilted, cotton inner layer that is both soft and comfortable. The mask has black elastic ear straps that can be adjusted for a tighter fit. The drive is in honour of fallen Victoria Police officers. ORDER HERE

Masonic Mailbag
• Ken Barnes writes regarding the latest Grand Master’s video: “Thank you Richard, Myles and Ash. Should we not be seen as a progressive organisation? I know that Richard is a “coal” man but perhaps a more modern background than the 40-year-old Loy Yang Power Station could be used. I am very pleased to see these chat shows and will file the content and style away for my own reference as Lodge Engagement Officer.”

Lodge heads Laptop Drive
• “Students are in need of laptops and tablets this school year more than ever due to distance learning. King David’s Masonic Lodge of San Luis Obispo is helping address that need by working with local organizations to provide laptops to children in need. The lodge is partnering with the San Luis Coastal Education Foundation and Stand Strong to kick off their inaugural laptop drive,” reports the KSBY News. LINK

From The Editor
• Given that a number of our members are in same-gender relationships, FVNews Daily will change the language of event invitations, where appropriate, from ‘ladies’ to ‘partners’. It will mean much to those members; thank you to all for your understanding. – Ash Long, Editor.

World News
• The Journal-Standard (Freeport, Illinois, USA), received press publicity by filling a SUV with clothes and donating them to the Salvation Army. LINK

New Subscribers
• We are aiming to increase our opt-in subscribers list by seven every issue before August 31, 2021, to reach 4000 members. Subscribe at LINK We welcome Ken Coleman, Eric Brown, Stephen Kapolitsas, Dennis Waller, John Jackson, Russell Phipps, Peter Sampsonidis.

Please Send Your Summons
• Lodges can assist by sending emails about every lodge meeting and event to editor@FVNews.com.au 

Please include us on your Lodge Summons mailing list.

Famous Freemasons
• Ziegfeld, Florenz (1867-1932) – A Broadway impresario, Florenz Ziegfeld created the famed Ziegfeld Follies that were based on the Parisian Folies Bergère and ran from 1907 to 1931. Several actors and comedians (many of whom were Freemasons) experienced their first successes within his lavish shows, men such as W.C. Fields, Eddie Cantor and Will Rogers. Ziegfeld was a member of Accordia Lodge No. 277, Chicago, Illinois.
– Timothy Horton

Masonic Knowledge
• Masonic Etiquette. “If you wish to offer a predetermined motion or matter for discussion, advise the Master beforehand. Why? Advising the Master before the meeting that you intend to bring up a specific motion or a matter for discussion is an important courtesy. You may, indeed, do it without advising him in advance, but the Master may have plans of his own for that meeting, for which your proposed motion or discussion may not easily fit into the allotted time frame.

• “As a courtesy to him, his work, and his dedication to the members, it is best to ask him privately, beforehand, if he will be able to recognize you to speak your purpose. This saves “face” for both of you.”

Masonic Wisdom
• “As we continue to improve ourselves in Masonry, we are indeed improving life. We know from history that without ideals to guide us, the garden of a man’s life will not grow into a place of beauty.” – Bro. Stanley F. Maxwell 

The Last Word
• Here’s a quote for the Zoom era: “Brother, I, too, own a television set, but that does not keep me at home on lodge night. I have never yet had one of the characters on television come off the screen and shake my hand. They have never offered me the warm friendship that my lodge brothers do. They have never handed me a cup of coffee or a doughnut. No! Never!”

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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