FVNews Daily. 
No 54. Friday, June 26, 2020
From the Communications and Marketing Volunteer Action Team
FVNews Daily is also available at www.FVNews.com.au
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Vale Keith Wagstaff
• Bro. Keith John Wagstaff passed to the Grand Lodge Above on Saturday (June 20). Bro. Keith was a member of Myrtleford Lodge from 2012-2019, and then a member of Wangaratta Lodge of St John No. 66, whose Secretary Roger Porter advises that a funeral service will be held today (Fri.) at Whorouly Anglican Church. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no further number of people may attend. Matt DeNatris and Roger Porter will conduct a Masonic Service.
• Bro. Keith was originally a member of Barossa Lodge and was their Worshipful Master in 1972-73.

LINK to the Quarterly, Grand Installation
• The Quarterly Communication is scheduled to start at 2pm on Saturday (June 27), followed by the Grand Installation at 3.15pm. Both events will be live streamed.
• Here is the LINK: https://www.thestreamingguys.com.au/production/fmv-270620/

Grand Installation Countdown: 1 day to go
• Freemasons Victoria is taking every precaution to keep participants safe at this weekend’s Quarterly Communication and Grand Installation. The Lodge rooms, surrounding areas, and lifts will undergo a thorough clean today (Friday), and again on the morning of Saturday (June 27). A final thorough clean, of the entire premises, will be undertaken post ceremonies on Saturday (June 27).

Talk on Stress Management
• Richmond Lodge will have guest speaker Russell Barnard  with a presentation about stress management and the maintenance of good mental health. Richmond Lodge will meet online at 7pm on Tuesday (June 30). In the “meet a member” segment, Erwin Genuino will share his thoughts.

St John The Baptist Feast Day
• “Longview Masonic Lodge No. 404 (USA) spent time Wednesday evening reviving a ceremony that hadn’t been conducted in East Texas in more than 70 years,” reports the Longview News-Journal. “The Walk on St John the Baptist Feast Day honours the birthday of John the Baptist. “It simply fell into disuse,” lodge member Claude Hammond said.” LINK
Bro. Rabbi Raymond Apple was speaker• Harry Adlerstein writes: “This morning (Thursday, June 25) at 1am, the Worshipful Master of Mount Scopus and Collegians Lodge No. 689, Wor. Bro Richard Wainstein, accompanied by some of the Lodge Brethren, made an Official Visit to The Gardens of Netanya Lodge No. 67, Grand Lodge of the State of Israel. It was still Wednesday when they Tyled (6pm) It was a Business meeting with some differences to the way we do it. Guest speaker was RWor. Bro. Rabbi Raymond Apple (AO. RFD. PDGM), formerly of NSW. He gave a fascinating talk on ‘How Freemasonry Began.

Financial Forecasts
• Craig Head provides an interesting summary in the financial report in Quarterly Communications papers circulated this week by the Grand Secretariat.
• “Assumptions included in a balanced General Fund result include:• Future Grand Installations will break-even;
• No international travel in 2020-21 with a focus on regional travel within Victoria whilst better utilising Zoom and other platforms to reduce meeting costs;
• Capitation fees to be levied from July 1, 2020;• Rolling quarterly reforecasts communicated to members via Quarterly Communications and Engage;
• Continuing to explore commercial opportunities to enhance our corpus to build a sustainable financial base;• Continue to build a Member supported organisation that provides a level of service delivered by a professional business team assisted by engaged volunteers.
• “This exercise is not about unnecessary cost-cutting, it’s about continuing to build a culture ofaccountability, delivery of services and a greater appreciation of our cost base balanced by the long-term protection of the investment corpus gifted to us by previous generations ofVictorian Freemasons.”
• A full report will be delivered at tomorrow’s Quarterly Communication.

Let’s Talk

• Let’s Talk is a mental health initiative which gratefully received funds from Freemasons Foundation Victoria.
• In appreciation of FFV’s support, signage has been erected in three locations: the Hamilton Highway on the outskirts of Mortlake, a second on the outskirts of Noorat, and the third on the Mortlake-Warrnambool Road, on the outskirts of Warrnambool. (Thanks to Bob Pullin and John Patterson for this information.)

Masonic Mailbag
• Murray Luxford writes: “An interesting comment about the role of the ‘Paid Tyler’ in Thursday’s FVNews. I particularly liked the reasons behind his payment that the Post Office wasn’t speedy enough or didn’t exist. Not much has changed when you think about it, has it? My apologies to those brethren who may be involved with Aus Post.”

More Mailbag
• Mervyn Hallam writes: “In response to 
Wor. Bro. Rob Body’s comments relating to the Code of Conduct, he is 100 per cent correct. As most know, I have a great belief that there is insufficient importance placed on Education. I haven’t yet attended a Mentor Training session but what’s in the Code of Conduct should be or ought to be the basis of that curriculum. If our members were educated properly from the start, there should beno need for a separate book on behaviour.” 

What’s On: online meetings
• www.masonsconnect.com has introduced a paywall ($5 per month/$60 yearly).
• FVNews Daily believes in free sharing of information. We will build a free What’s On guide in our daily bulletin, and at our www.FVNews.com.auwebsite

Famous Freemasons
• “Bud Abbott was one half of the famous Abbott and Costello comedy duo. He was a comedian, actor and producer. Teaming up with comedianLou Costello in 1936, Abbott was the ‘straight man’ and, between 1940 and 1956, they made 36 films together and, since they took a share of the profits from each movie, the pair became two of the highest paid stars in the world. When her husband left her, Abbott took over the running of his sister’s household, and he also adopted two children with his wife, Betty Smith. Bro. Abbott was a member of Daylight Lodge No. 525, Michigan.” LINK

Masonic Knowledge
• You agree to be cautious in your carriage and behaviour, courteous to your brethren, and faithful to your Lodge.• You promise to respect genuine and true brethren, and to discountenance impostors, and all dissenters from the original plan of Freemasonry.• You agree to promote the general good of society, to cultivate the social virtues, and to propagate the knowledge of the Mystic Art as far as your influence and ability can extend.- Antient Charges and Regulations (Nos. 7-9)

Masonic Wisdom
• “Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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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