FVNews Daily. 
No 7. Wednesday, April 22, 2020
From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action Team

Your Daily Digest
• Every weekday (and Saturday too) FVNews brings a daily digest of the latest positive news of what’s happening in Freemasons Victoria. Opt-in (or opt-out) HERE

New opportunities
• Richard Elkington, Grand Master-Elect, attended three Lodge meetings online this past week. He says: “What I found fascinating about bumping into 3 Lodge meetings via Zoom on Friday was, apart from the positive aspect of “connecting”, the general view that the COVID-19 crisis had presented us with opportunities to do things differently in future. Meeting via Zoom, or an alternative means such as Skype/FaceTime, for example would enable us to gather more frequently; to make our ceremonial meetings more efficient by conducting business separately; to overcome the tyrannies of distance re isolation and to conduct training and development “online’ rather than face to face.”

Endeavour Virtual Lodge
• The Endeavour Virtual Lodge No 944 will conduct righth meeting  on Thursday, April 30, via the Zoom Virtual Platform. The agenda includes a welcome of visitors and official lodge visits, plus appointment of digital and graphics officers.

New bus for Special School
• Robert Pullin, Secretary of Rosebank Lodge, advises that the Freemasons Foundation Victoria has approved a grant of $50,000 for theColac Special School to purchase a new 12-seater bus fitted with disability aids to transport students to various activities.This was a joint project between Colac, Rosebank and Apollo Bay Lodges. The vehicle will be prominently sign written acknowledging the contributions of the Freemasons of the district.

Helping at Ballarat
• A grant application from Sturt-Buninyong Lodge to support Uniting Ballarat was supported by the Freemasons Foundation. A Ballarat Courier newspaper report can be read HERERon Fleming  was interviewed by WIN News Ballarat. The TV report went to air on Tuesday night. Watch it HERE

Masonic Trivia
• At one time, Golden Lodge No 5, Stanstead, Canada occupied a lodge room, which straddled the boundary between Canada and the United States. There were entrances on both sides of the border.
• Washington Chapter No 3 of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, announced its meetings via the town crier, who received from 6 to 25 cents for his work.
• In 1872 the Commissioner of Patents held that the Masonic emblem could not be used in a trademark or trade name for commercial purposes.
• In Hammer v. State, 173 Indiana, 199 (1909), the Supreme Court ruled that it was a criminal offence to wear the emblem of any society or organisation of which one is not a member. The court based its decision on the fact that the membership in such societies is the result of fitness and selection and that the wearing of such emblems by non-members is a deceit and false pretense.

Letters to the Editor
• Joel Solomon comments: “Freemasonry is good, let’s talk about it.”
• Nobby Forster of United Schools Lodge941 and Great Ocean Road Lodge 886 congratulations FVNews as “a great initiative and well put together”. Nobby adds: “Sad to see Keith Rainbow’s name. I was on the road with him back in 1977-78, and he was one of the really nice guys. Sadly missed.”
• Iain Taylor has written on the subject of Masonic Knowldge: “i have been tutoring the MAPs 1,2, and 3 in the South Eastern District Keysborough for over 17 years and still do today even during this enforced interregnum period by electronic means.  I truly believe in educating Masons on a regular basis. iIam the Education Officer for Baxter Lodge. i do not believe that we do enough for educating our brethren. At the present moment I send out an advancement in Masonic Education to about 32 Freemasons every month.”

Masonic Wisdom
• G.F. Moore said: “Masonry is the science of life in a society of men, by signs, symbols and ceremonies; having as its basis a system of morality and for its purpose the perfection and happiness of the individual and the race.” 

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
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 optio at https://fvnews.com.au/wp/subscribe/