FVNews 
No. 181. Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Now Published on Mondays and Thursdays (Usually)
• From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action Team

• Email: editor@FVNews.com.au or Ash@Long.com.au
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe HERE
• FVNews is also available at the website: www.FVNews.com.au
• All Back Copies are available at: https://fvnews.com.au/wp/back-copies/

What’s On (55 listings)
UPDATED EACH EDITION

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

Wednesday, March 31

• 7.30pm. The Great Debate. NSW v Victoria. ‘Is a belief in a god necessary to be a good Freemason?’ DETAILS Meeting ID: 889 1705 1154

Thursday, April 1
• 7pm. Lodge Killara. ANZAC Tribute. At Greensborough Masonic Centre.
• 7.15pm. Ivanhoe Grammarians Lodge. Double First Degree. At Ivalda Masonic Centre.

• 7.30pm. Victorian Naval and Military Chapter. At East Melbourne.

Friday, April 2 – Good Friday
• All Day. Collections for Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.
Saturday, April 3 – Holy Saturday
• Holiday Weekend

Sunday, April 4 – Easter Sunday
• Holiday Weekend
Monday, April 5 – Easter Monday
• 8am-4pm. Ivanhoe Grammarians Lodge. Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings Mernda.
• 7pm. North Melbourne Lodge. Social Meeting.
• 7.30pm. City of Footscray-Wydnham Lodge. First Degree. At Western Masonic Centre, Sunshine West.
• 7.30pm. Commonwealth Lodge. Ceremony of the Vacant Chair. At Mirboo North Masonic Centre.
• 7.30pm. Lodge Garibaldi. At Freemasons Melbourne.
• 7.30pm. Rosebank Lodge. Talk: Rod Campbell, ‘History of the Ford Mustang’. At Beeac Masonic Centre.

Tuesday, April 6
• 7.30pm. Masonic Advancement Program. MAP2. At Brunswick Masonic Centre.Wednesday, April 7
• 6.30pm. Glenroy Lodge. Installation by Team with Andrew McPhee. Essendon Masonic Centre.
• 7.30pm. Dimboola Lodge. Ceremony of the Vacant Chair. At Dimboola Masonic Centre.
• 7.30pm. Old Scotch Collegians Lodge. First Degree. At East Melbourne.

Thursday, April 8
• 6pm. Gordon Lodge. Installation by 2021 Team with Tony Bucca, supported by John Rodrigo. At Essendon Masonic Centre.
• 7pm. Gippsland Union Lodge. Obligate Master-Elect. Vacant Chair.
• 7.30pm. Cohuna Lodge. Vacant Chair Ceremony. At Cohuna Masonic Centre.
• 8pm: Visitors Admitted. Geelong Lodge of Unity and Prudence. Obligation of Master-Elect David Webb, At Geelong Masonic Centre, Belmont.

Friday, April 9
• 7pm. Altona Lodge. Double First Degree. 60-Year Jewel to Bob Richardson.
Saturday, April 10
• 2pm. Gippsland Lodge. Installation by 2021 Team with Richard Elkington. At Sale Masonic Centre.

• 4pm. Benambra Lodge. Installation by 108 Team with David Keame. At Tallangatta Masonic Centre.
• 4pm. Duke of Connaught Lodge. Installation by 2021 Country Team with Chris Scott. At Korumburra Masonic Centre.
• 4pm. Stewart Lodge of St Arnaud. Installation of Neville Wharton by the 2021 Country Team. At St Arnaud Masonic Centre.
Sunday, April 11

• 11am. Earl of Dunmore Lodge. Installation of Tony Meechan by Rob McGregor. Richard Elkington at Festive Board. At Freemasons Bayside.

• 8am-4pm. Dimboola Lodge. Bunnings Sausage Sizzle. At Bunnings Horsham. 
Monday, April 12
• 5pm. Carisbrook Lodge. Installation by 2021 Country Team with John McTaggart. At Freemasons Carisbrook.
• 7.30pm. City of Abbotsford Chapter. At Collingwood.
• 7.30pm. United Ararat Lodge. Talk by Paul Moralee. At Ararat Masonic Centre.

Tuesday, April 13
• 10am. Allara Lodge. Installation by Magenta Team with Leonard Kelly. 
• 7.30pm. Marnoo Lodge. Second Degree. At Stawell Masonic Centre.
Wednesday, April 14
• 7.30pm. Traralgon Lodge. Obligation of Master-Elect. 40-Year Badges. Ladies In The South. At Latrobe Valley Masonic Centre, Traralgon.
Thursday, April 15
• 9.30am. Sale Daylight Lodge. Installation by Gippsland Team with Chris Scott. At Sale Masonic Centre.
Friday, April 16
• TBA. South Australian Grand Installation.
Saturday, April 17

• 3pm. South Australian Grand Installation.

• 4pm. Koo Wee Rup Lodge. Installation by South Gippsland Team with Paul Vassil. At Koo Wee Rup Masonic Centre.
• 4pm. Rupertswood Numurkah Lodge. Installation by North East Team with David Blake. At Numurkah Masonic Centre.
• 4pm. Zetland Lodge. By 2021 Country Team with Bob Jones. At Freemasons Kyneton.

Sunday, April 18
• TBA. South Australian Grand Installation.
• 4pm. Melbourne High School Lodge. First Degree. At Melbourne High School.

• 7.30pm. Masonic Advancement Program. MAP3. At Greensborough Masonic Centre.

Monday, April 19
• 9.30am. Eureka Daylight Lodge. By 2021 Country Team with John McTaggart. At Ballarat Masonic Centre.
• 7.30pm. St George Lodge. First Degree. At Dunolly Masonic Centre.
Tuesday, April 20

• 10am. Dallas Brooks Lodge. Talk: Peter Russell, The ‘A Model’ Ford. At Wangaratta Masonic Centre.
• 6.30pm. Ballarat-Yarowee Lodge. Installation by 2021 Ceremonial Team. 75-Year Jewel to Bill Messer. 65-Year Jewel to Max Matters. At Ballarat Masonic Centre.
• 6.30pm. Moorabbin Lodge. Installation by 2021 Team. At Bayside Masonic Centre.
Friday, April 23
• TBA. Lodge of Research. Truncated Version.
Saturday, April 24

• 3pm. Garibaldi Lodge. Installation by 2021 Lodge with Matt Donato. At Essendon Masonic Centre.
• 4pm. Prince of Wales Lodge. Installation by 2021 Country Team. At Smythesdale Masonic Centre.

Sunday, April 25 – ANZAC Day

• Throughout Day. Dawn Service, Marches across Victoria.

Monday, April 26

• 9.30am. Derrimut Daylight Lodge. Installation by 2021 Team with Richard Elkington. At Freemasons Sunshine.

• 6.30pm. Baxter Lodge. 2021 Team with Tony Bucca. At Frankston and District Masonic Centre.

Tuesday, April 27

• 6.30pm. Mt Franklin St George Lodge. Installation by 2021 Country Team with John McTaggart. At Freemasons Daylesford.

• 6.30pm. Warragul Lodge. Installation by Gippsland team with Chris Scott. At West Gippsland Masonic Centre, Warragul 
• 7pm. Middle Park Lodge. First Degree. 60-year jewel to Chester Toogood. At Freemasons Melbourne. BOOKING ESSENTIAL

Tuesday, May 4

• 7.30pm. Masonic Advancement Program MAP3. At Brunswick Masonic Centre.

Sunday, May 16

• 10am. Masonic Advancement Program MAP1. At Greensborough Masonic Centre.

Friday, May 21

• 7pm. Bayside District Lodges. 160th Anniversary Ball. Entertainment: Wilbur Wilde and the Troubleshooters, Kingsfords. Talk: Richard Elkington. In aid of Les Twentyman Foundation. BOOK

Videos

• Freemasons Victoria. Grand Re-Installation. REPLAY
• Freemasons Victoria. Quarterly Communication. (02:26:51) WATCH

Essential Information

• Freemasons Victoria. Re-Opening Lodges: The Manual. Version 2. READ
• Freemasons Victoria. COVID-19 Modifications for Lodge Ceremonies. LOG INat Freemasons Victoria website

Watch replay of Grand Re-Installation

• WATCH a replay ofthe Grand Re-Installation of Grand Master of Richard Elkington.

Top 5 Quotes from the Grand Master

• Grand Master Richard Elkington said this at the Grand Re-Installation:
• “People say ‘Let’s Make Freemasonry Great Again’. Freemasonry is already great, and it has been for centuries.”
• “Every Mason is a community leader. If we believe in ourselves, anything is possible.”
• “Brethren, let us not be afraid of success. We all have greatness within us. Let us apply determination to be the best Freemasons that we can possibly be.”
• “A Grand Installation is a powerful demonstration of harmony. Not just harmony with each other, but also in harmony with the Great Architect of the Universe.”
• “Let us commit to build a fraternity where people look at our kindness, our demeanour and our drive, and say: “Wow! That man is a Freemason. I want to be like him.”

And 5 More …

• “I want us to practise what we preach. When we talk about inclusion of people of all faiths and backgrounds, I want us to mean it.”
• “The Grand Installation is our annual reminder that Freemasonry is not just about finding inspiration in others, but finding inspiration in ourselves.”
• “We need to re-commit to best behaviours, and weed out those who refuse to play by our time-honoured rules.” 

• “Freemasonry is not only what is in our heads, it is also about what is in our hearts.”
• “Today’s Grand Installation is the green light for us to confidently resume work, after a tumultuous 12 months affected by the global pandemic.”

Vale Fred Datson

• We regret to advise of the passing to the Grand Lodge Above of Wor. Bro Frederick Datson. Jan. 11, 1928-Mar. 28, 2021. Aged 93. 58 years a freemason – active Chaplain in St Andrews in the South Lodge.

Vale Harold Simberg

• We regret to advise of the passing to the Grand Lodge Above of Wor. Bro Harold Arden Simberg PM of the Derrimut Daylight Lodge No 905on March 17.Pithy Paragraphs

• Geoffrey Davey is unwell. He has been in touch with Ian Thompson. Ivanhoe Grammarians Lodge has reached out to Geoffrey’s family.
• What a show of strength from the Freemasons Victoria staff at the weekend’s Grand Re-Installation. Thanks to all for giving up a major part of their weekend to help make it such a success.
• Richard Elkington was an enthusiastic attendee at the Baden Powell Lodge event at Gilwell Park at the weekend. The annual Rover Service Awards took place at the Norman Johnson Campfire Circle. There was a good gathering of Freemasons and Scouters.
• Craig Head notes that the Master Builders Victoria Awards Magazine has two Masonic references to “excellence in construction” – Epworth Freemasons and Masonic Residences.
• Rod Lavin made an impressive presentation at the weekend of the work of the 1889 Bequest Society.
• There will be one issue of FVNews next week, after Easter. Greetings are sent to all our readers.
Powerful Communications

• Graham Berry provides powerful viewership figures of last Saturday’s Grand Re-Installation. There were 1411 Australian live views (957 unique viewers) including 173 (New South Wales), 81 (Western Australia), 38 (Queensland), 32 (South Australia), 24 (Tasmania), 10 (Australian Capital Territory), 4 (Northern Territory). Overseas statistics: 8 (Philippines), 7 (United States), 7 (Saudia Arabia), 4 (Korea), 4 (Singapore), 4 (Lebanon), 3 (Mauritius), 2 (Netherlands), 2 (Austria), 2 (Greece),  2 (United Kingdom), 2 (Hong Kong), 2 (New Zealand), and other viewers in Spain, Finland, Malaysia, France and Colombia.
• For the statistics junkies: 62 per cent watched via desktop, 33.1 per cent by mobile, 3.9 per cent by tablet.More Comms Success Stories

• Richard Elkington, Grand Master, features on the front cover of The Local Paper – Southern Cross Weekly this week. VIEW
• Freemasonry will be in the public spotlight on Friday with collectors at 7-Eleven and APCO outlets for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.
Recovery Team To Meet

• The Freemasons Victoria Future Recovery Team meets again this morning (Wed.) in its constant monitoring of COVID-19 situations, and the firm aim of compliance of best practice in line with Government regulations.
• Trivia Note: To comply with COVID-19 regulations, attendees at the Grand Re-Installation were unable to sing Advance Australia Fair, or even‘So Mote It Be’ unless they were wearing a face mask. Myles King assisted with ensuring that there was strict observance to the rules.

$4000 to Eureka Mums

• Doug Williams of No 23 Masonic Social Committee tells of the Stuart-Buninyong Lodge (with the help of the Freemasons Foundation) presenting $4000 to Eureka Mums to go towards infant car seats that are provided as part of their community support activities.
• “In the past couple of years Eureka Mums has issued on average about 200 car seats a year. This includes reversible car seats for newborns to 4 year olds, as well as toddler seats and booster seats that are used for children up to 8 years of age. They receive about half of these as donations that are re-homable, and purchase the other half themselves from their own funds.”
• We will publish a further report with more details.

World News

• Freemasons in London gave 18 million volunteer hours, as well as £1 million, in the UK fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, reports The London Post. READ MORE

New Subscribers

• We are building FVNews to be a vital guide to Masonry in Victoria. You can have your free copy emailed to your inbox. Use the ‘Subscribe’ option at www.FVNews.com.au We welcome Bruce Bonnett, Tom Demirtas, Edmond Tondu, Tony Matern.

Sincere Thanks

• Amongst those who assisted with contributions (and personal encouragement) have included: Bob Pullin, Neville Emerson, Rahim Samat, Trav Gascoigne, Mark Vincent, Richard Elkington, Tony Bucca, Garry Runge, Garry Sebo, Bob Jones, Hillel Benedykt, Don Reynolds, Geoff Fraser, Paul Brennand, Neville Wiggins, Xavier Murtagh, Graeme Hawke, Haydn Gregson, Barry Minster, Luke Potter, Frank Lombardo, Gary Liew, Ben Quick, Damien Hudson, Rick Durra, Gary Bevern, Ian Upjohn, John Rosenberg, Graham Berry, Myles King, Craig Head, John Glover, Doug Williams, Max Paulet, Robert Kerr, Ray Crellin, Bill Schrank, John Zalewski, John Blyth, Ronen Jachimowicz, Maurice Golden, Tomasz Wojciechowski, John Patterson, Philip Mayers, Alan Luckman, Rob Richardson, Patrick Strachan, Peter Murdoch, Mark Gealer, David Waugh, Steve Lourey, Terry Clifton, Jerry Spiliotis, Keith Stewart, David Foong, Spiro Perdikomatis, Robert Boileau, Felix Pintado, Ridha Fkih, Jim Nicholas, Michael Robinson, Yuri Kurmanei, Bill Merrill, Darcy Holden, Tony Del Nivo, Royce Beale, Karl Saunders, Duke Trench-Thiedeman, Khris Albano, Helmut Kant, Daren Sanford, Rhys Webb, Ari Indra, Carl and Pat Stewart, Peter Kennedy, Cam Wilkie, James Long, Roger Allen, Donna De La Rue, Rod Rowe, Howard Purcell, Des Ford, Alexis Rivero-Urdaneta, Stuart McArthur, Ross Broad, Nicholas Alivizatos, Tony Anamourlis, Garry Porter, John Playford, Roy Alderton, Bruce and Lynne Stockdale, Lee Ambrosia, Colin Peterson, Wes Turnbull.
• Special appreciation to our partners. (At the luncheon following the Grand Re-Installation, Grand Master Richard Elkington offered special thanks to his wife Kathleen.)

Please Send Your Summons
• Lodges can assist FVNews by sending emails about every lodge meeting and event to editor@FVNews.com.au – please include us on your Lodge Summons mailing list.

Famous Masonic Characters
• The Constitutions of the Free-Masons, “For the Use of the Lodges” in London and Westminster, was published in 1723. It was edited by the Presbyterian clergyman, James Anderson, to the order of John Theophilus Desaguliers, and approved by a Grand Lodge committee under his control. This work was reprinted in Philadelphia in 1734 by Benjamin Franklin, who was that year elected Grand Master of Masons in Pennsylvania. It was also translated into Dutch (1736), German (1741), and French (1745).
• Anderson was minister of the Presbyterian church in Swallow Street, London, which had once been Huguenot church, and one of its four Deacons was Desaguliers’ father. At the time of his meeting with Desaguliers, he seems to have passed himself off as a Talmudic scholar. His reward for his labours was the copyright on the work. In time, and to Anderson’s dismay, it was condensed into “pocket” editions over which he had no control and from which he received no income. It was expanded, updated, and re-published in 1738. (Wikipedia)

Masonic Knowledge
• Today’s Date: March 31, 2021      
• Anno Luccis: March 31, 6021
• Anno Inventionis: March 31, 2551
• Anno Depositionis: March 31, 3021
• Anno Ordinis: March 31, 903
• Anno Mundi: March 31, 5781

Masonic Wisdom
•  “I mean to make myself a man, and if I succeed in that, I shall succeed in everything else.” – Bro. James A. Garfield (former US President)

The Last Word
•  “That’s all a man can hope for during his lifetime – to set an example – and when he is dead, to be an inspiration for history.” – Bro. William McKinley (former US President)

Oh … And One More Thing
•  Richard Elkington, Grand Master, in his speech on Saturday, said: “I want to salute our partners, who work alongside us in our great endeavours. I want us to move on from language of the 1950s where we once thanked the ladies in the kitchen. In 2021 and beyond, I want us to further embrace diversity, and recognise that for possibly one-in-10 of our membership, their partners are male, and that those men will receive the same warm welcome in our Masonic family. Who knows? We might even gain some extra members. I want us to re-connect with former members, and be able to demonstrate that we are building a better Freemasonry in Victoria.”

INFORMATION TO KNOW
FVNews is published by VWor. 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

FVNews is an opt-in email. If, for any reason, you would prefer not to receive our emails, simply reply to editor@FVNews.com.au or fill out the Unsubscribe form at https://fvnews.com.au/wp/subscribe/  – type OPT OUT in the subject line, and please include your email address. Or use the unsubscribe option at https://fvnews.com.au/wp/subscribe/

DISCLAIMER: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text of FVNews belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the United Grand Lodge of Victoria (Freemasons Victoria) organisation, committee or other group or individual. Readers should take all steps necessary to ascertain that information you receive from FVNews is correct and has been verified. FVNews assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in FVNews is provided on an “as is” basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness