GRAND LODGE
of ANTIENT, FREE and ACCEPTED MASONS of
SOUTH AUSTRALIA and NORTHERN TERRITORY

 Freemasonry in South Australia and Northern Territory
 
Masonic News
  • Local news in the Press ...
  • Past news - 150 years ago - 1857 - 1858 ...


Council approves North Tce Redevelopment


text of a media release issued 4 August 2008 on Adelaide City Council website:

"Historic lodge restored in City tower development

The Adelaide City Council’s Development Assessment Panel has approved a new $60 million apartment tower on North Terrace – which will also see important conservation work go ahead at the historic Masonic Lodge.

The proposal involves demolishing the hall at the rear of the Lodge and constructing an 18-level apartment and office building, as well as three levels of car parking and a ground-level public plaza creating a new pedestrian link between Synagogue Place and North Terrace.

The proposed tower incorporates a number of energy efficient and sustainability elements including rainwater reticulation and re-use, balcony overhangs, and a solar hot water system.

Lord Mayor Michael Harbison said importantly, the historic Masonic Lodge will also undergo significant restoration and conservation work.

“The Masonic Lodge on North Terrace has been home to South Australia’s Freemasons since 1927, so it’s very important the Lodge continues to be used and remains part of the social fabric of the City,” he said.

“The proposed 18-level tower will include more than 130 residential apartments, providing more options for individuals and families considering living in the City – as well as more than 160 bicycle parking spaces.”

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Lodges will receive a Circular about this matter from the Grand Lodge Office. 




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Why do Australian men die early?

5 June 2008

International Men's Health Week will be held 9-15 June this year. 

The Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health at the University of Adelaide is urging men to consider the facts about their health and do something about it.

Male life expectancy is 78 years - five years lower than that for women (83 years).

"The fact is, men are more likely to die prematurely from a wide range of causes, and male deaths are greater across all age groups," says Professor Villis Marshall, Director of the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health. "Premature deaths take a great emotional and economic toll on families and society."

The leading causes of premature death among Australian men are heart disease (eg heart attack and angina); suicide; vehicle accidents; and lung cancer. Risk factors such as being overweight or obese, not getting any or sufficient exercise, and depression are all major contributors to men's shorter life expectancy."

"The great problem is that there is a significant burden of undetected disease among men," says Professor Gary Wittert, Head of the School of Medicine at the University of Adelaide and leader of the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS). Preliminary results of FAMAS show that of the men aged 35-80 who participated in the study:
  • 47% had high cholesterol, but 14% of them were unaware they had it;
  • 14% had diabetes, but 4.4% were unaware;
  • 60% had hypertension, but 29% were unaware;
  • 18.5% had depression, but 6% were unaware.
About the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health

Established in partnership with the Freemasons Foundation, the Centre for Men's Health is based at the University of Adelaide's School of Medicine. It is the first of its kind in Australia and one of only a handful of centres in the world with a focus on all aspects of men's health. Over the next five years, it aims to:
  • establish a men's health service that provides holistic health services for men;
  • develop a comprehensive research program to improve men's health;
  • attract high quality researchers from interstate and overseas to build a critical mass of men's health researchers;
  • develop continuing education programs for health professionals with an interest in men's health.
"Research is revealing important links between men's health issues. For example, there is growing evidence that weight loss is likely to be an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction. There is a burning need to address men's health from a more holistic perspective and that is the main aim of the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health," says Professor Marshall.


The above is from http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news26901.html



Application lodged for Redevelopment of Adelaide Masonic Centre

14 April 2008

The weekend press reported that a Development Application has been lodged with Adelaide City Council to demolish the  rear hall (the Great Hall) of the Adelaide Masonic Centre, construct a 17 storey residential apartment building with 3 level of basement car parking on the cleared site, and undertake alterations and conservation works to the front section of the Masonic Centre.

Lodges will receive a Circular about this from Grand Lodge. 

The following shows how the proposed building might look:
254 North Terrace proposal
To cost $120 million, the proposed apartment tower would include two four-bedroom, two-story penthouses, each of 500m² and with swimming pool, expected to sell for $4.5 million per apartment. The proposal also envisages 134 one and two bedroom apartments, a gym, sauna and separate pool for residents, basement parking for 136 cars and ground floor retail space.  The developer is Advantis (Qld) Pty Ltd.


Father's Love Rose

14 February 2008

Orders for the 2008 release of the Father's Love Rose are now being taken.   The Father’s Love Rose, a deep velvety red rose, has been developed to celebrate our fathers. The Father’s Love Rose is for Dad – husband, father, son, son-in-law, grandfather or friend. It becomes a live and growing tribute to that very special person.  This rose has been developed exclusively for the Freemasons Foundation by internationally acclaimed rose specialists Meilland International in France. It is a hybrid tea, medium size bush, growing to about 1.5 metres in height. It has double petals and a strong rose fruit bouquet. 

Your purchase of the Father’s Love Rose bush will help fund the research of the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Mens Health, a joint venture between the Freemasons Foundation and The University of Adelaide.  The Centre was launched in October 2007 with a vision to enable men to live longer healthier, and happier lives, and conducts innovative research programs in the areas of male ageing, male obesity, reproductive health, prostate cancer, and masculinity and health.

Orders for delivery from July 2008 will close on 30 June 2008

To place an order for Father's Love Rose CLICK HERE to download a form in pdf fomat.
 
If you don't have Adobe Reader then click on the following image ...  click here to download http://www.adobe.com/ap/products/acrobat/readstep2.htmladobe reader







Freemasons establish Centre for Men's Health

2 October 2007 :

The Freemasons Foundation has committed approximately $1.5 million over five years to establish the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health  within the School of Medicine at the University of Adelaide. 

The funding includes establishment of two Freemasons Foundation Research Fellows positions. 

"The Centre is the first of its kind in Australia and one of only a handful of centres in the world with a focus on all aspects of men's health. It aims to:
  • raise the public profile of men's health issues;
  • develop effective strategies for promoting positive health and wellbeing among men and boys;
  • develop effective treatments for health conditions and diseases affecting men; and
  • to build a critical mass of researchers and practitioners with interests in various aspects of men's health.

Sir Eric Neal, former Governor of South Australia, is the principal patron of the new centre. The Director of the Centre is Professor Villis Marshall, an internationally recognised consultant in urology, educator and researcher."


From a news release issued by the University of Adelaide.




Latest news on Freemasonry from newspapers

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Cultural events of Masonic Interest
The Adelaide Masonic Centre Museum participated in SA History Week  16-25 May 2008

Opera Queensland will stage a new production of Mozart's Magic Flute  12 July - 2 August 2008.

 
International Masonic news and Conferences
The 9th World Conference of Masonic Grand Lodges was held in Washington DC on 7-10 May 2008 - details at conference website ...  Sessions included: Ethics: cultivating ethical behavior in a civil society; Brotherhood of Man: countering fanaticism, intolerance, and tyranny; Masonic Integrity; Strengthening civil society: assisting civic groups to establish worldwide partnerships for the betterment of humanity; Developing and promoting cultural and academic exchanges among Masons worldwide

The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts celebrates 275 years in 2008.

The Grand Lodge of Ohio celebrates its bicentennial in 2008.

St Patrick's Lodge No.295 I.C., the Royal Dragoon Guards, holding a travelling or "not stationary" Warrant, celebrates 250 years of working in 2008-9 (celebrations deferred to 2009 for operational reasons).

The Order of Women Freemasons (with two lodges in South Australia) celebrates its centenary in 2008, including an exhibition at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry in London UK (see under 'Events' at the Museum website).  The Order of Women Freemasons is not recognised by the Grand Lodge of South Australia and Northern Territory.

The Triennial General Assembly of SRIA - Societas Rosicruciana In Anglia - is to be held in Melbourne 29-31 August 2008.

ANZMRC - the Australian and New Zealand Masonic Research Council - will hold its 9th Biennial Conference at Queanbeyan (adjacent Canberra) 3-5 October 2008.

The Second International Conference on the History of Freemasonry (ICHF) is to be held in Edinburgh Scotland 29-31 May 2009.  For further details see ICHF website ...

In 2008-2009 the Centre for Research into Freemasonry at the University of Sheffield is offering a course of studies in the History of Freemasonry and Fraternalism leading to the MA degree.  A distance learning MA is planned for 2009-2010 or 2010-2011.


Past News from SA and NT

150 years ago -  1858
Thursday, 13 May 1858 -  Bro. J Lazar, Deputy Provincial Grand Master, presided at a meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of English Freemasons to lay the foundation stone of St Andrew's Church, Wakefield Street, Adelaide.  The ceremony was performed according to Masonic rites by His Excellency Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell, Governor-in-Chief of the Province of South Australia, yogether with John Lazar, Mayor of Adelaide and Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Freemasons, and members of the Provincial Grand Lodge.  For a full report see The Register of 14 May 1858.

Wednesday, 25 August 1858 -  the Provincial Grand Lodge of English Freemasons met at the Lodge room of the Lodge of Truth No.933 EC, the Queen's Head Hotel, Kermode Street, North Adelaide.  Bro. John Lazar presided over a large attendance.  The Lodge then proceeded, accompanied by His Excellency Bro. Sir R.G. MacDonnell, Governor-in-Chief of South Australia, to lay the foundation stone of the  Masonic Hall in Brougham Place, North Adelaide, in the garden adjoining the residence of Mr J.B. Neales, MP.  The ceremony was performed in accordance with ancient Masonic rites. 

For a detailed report see The Register of 26 August 1858.  The report mentions that the building was designed by Mr Edmund W. Wright, Architect, in January 1856, in Roman Doric design, surmounted by a handsome cornice which rises over a pediment in the centre.  The front portion of the structure to consist of an entrance 27 ft long by 8 ft wide, supper room 27 ft x 14 ft, two waiting rooms and stairs on the ground floor, and a lecture room over all 40 ft x 27 ft and 15 ft high; builders Messrs English and Brown.  A hall was proposed to be erected at the rear at a later date, intended to be 80 ft x 40 ft, 24 ft high, lighted by windows considerably elevated above the ground and ornamented by pilasters and cornices in keeping with the exterior.

The hall was erected by a company of shareholders, called 'The North Adelaide Masonic and Public Hall Association'.  The Trustees were John Bentham Neales MP, John Tuthill Bagot MP and Samuel Wright.  The Directors were Frederic Wicksteed (Chairman), Ulysses North Bagot, William Thomas Sabben, John Richardson and Edward M Bagot, with William Alexander Hughes as Secretary.

20 August 1858 - first meeting of Percy Encampment of Knights Templar.  Percy Encampment was founded by CS Poole, William Fiveash, Henry Stodart, FT Percy Wells and Francis Haire, with CS Poole as first Preceptor.

22 September 1858 - Bro. Percy Wells admitted a member of the Lodge of Friendship No.613 EC. 
Percy Wells was involved in the foundation of Percy Rose Croix Chapter, Percy Encampment of Knights Templar and the Adelaide Mark Lodge No.41 EC.  Later in 1860 he advocated the use of the "Somerset Ritual" by the Lodge of Friendship.  Percy Wells had previously been Master in 1854 of Royal Cumberland Lodge No.41 EC in Bath, England.

St John's Day, Monday 27 December 1858 -  the Provincial Grand Lodge of English Freemasons met at the Lodge room of the Lodge of Truth No.933 EC, the Queen's Head Hotel, Kermode Street, North Adelaide.  Bro. John Lazar presided together with the Grand Wardens, Brothers Haire and Fiveash.  The brethren then proceeded in procession to Brougham Place where the new Masonic Hall was dedicated according to ancient Masonic usage, following a presentation by Bro. Edmund W Wright, the architect. 

The building, now known as Belmont House, was sold in 1863 when it became a private residence.  Since 1980 Belmont House has been recorded as a significant building on the Register of the National Estate.

Later the following were installed as Masters:  Bro. HE Downer, United Tradesmen Lodge; and Bro. H Duncan, Lodge of Unity.  In the evening a number of Craftsmen celebrated St John's Day by a dinner in the new Masonic Hall, Bro. WA Hughes, Master of the Lodge of Truth presiding.

A detailed report of the events of 27 December is given in The Register of 28 December 1858.

 

1857

Wednesday 7 January 1857 -  Bro. John Lazar, Deputy Provincial Grand Master, announced at a meeting of the Lodge of Friendship  that  he had obtained the consent of the Grand Lodge of England to retain the Quarterage fees in the colony as a nucleus for a local Benevolent Fund.

May 1857 -  The Lodge of Friendship moved its meeting place to the Prince of Wales Hotel, 25 Angas Street, then kept by Bro.William Baldwin (licencee 1852-8).  From December 1853 the Lodge had been meeting in the Masonic Hall, North Terrace.  This hall had been built by a joint stock company, but as a Lodge room it was a failure.  Being "badly built" the hall soon got into a state of disrepair, and the "powers that be" disregarded all appeals to rectify matters.

Friday 5 June 1857 -  Bro. John Lazar announced at a meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of SA that he had suspended the Lodge of Fidelity until the usual lodge returns had been furnished to the Provincial Grand Lodge (English Constitution).

Wednesday 8 July 1857 - the third annual Masonic ball took place at White's Assembly Rooms (later known as the Bijou or Majestic Theatre), King William Street.  Tickets, including supper, wine and refreshments were - Gentlemen 25 shillings; Ladies 15 shillings.  The caterers were Messrs. Aldridge and Bayston.  Incidental expenses included two bands, lighting, decorating, playing cards, programmes etc.

Saturday 29 August 1857 - the Provincial Grand Lodge (English) met at the Pier Hotel, Glenelg, Bro. John Lazar in the Chair.  The brethren proceeded to assist His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief (Bro. Sir Richard Graves MacDonnell) in screwing the first pile of the jetty at Glenelg (this was a cast iron screwpile jetty) which "was effected in due Masonic form" (The Register newspaper of 31 August 1857 contains a full report).  The completed jetty was 1,250 feet (381m) long, 18 feet wide and cost 31,294 Pounds. Governor MacDonnell opened the jetty on Monday 25th April 1859 in another huge ceremony.  This jetty was severely damaged during a storm in 1948.  

For further information about the above event  CLICK HERE (opens a pdf file)
15 September 1857 – presentation of  £124/14/-  and an Address to Rev. James Pollitt of St Luke’s Church, Whitmore Square, after total destruction of his parsonage by fire (two years previously, on 11 September 1855, the Foundation Stone of St Luke’s had been laid by Governor MacDonnell under Masonic form, along with the Mayor, Bro J Lazar, after a public Masonic procession to Whitmore square).

Monday 28 December 1857 - the Provincial Grand Lodge met at the Masonic Hall, King William Street (probably White's Rooms) for St John the Evangelist's Day.  The business included the Installation of:
    Bro. Aylwin as WM of Friendship
    Bro. Wadham as WM of Lodge of Harmony
    Bro. Hughes as WM of Lodge of Truth
    Bro. Jones as WM of United Tradesmen's Lodge


The above information is from the book "A History of First Fifty Years of Freemasonry in South Australia 1834-1884",  by  Glover CRJ (1915): Adelaide

www.freemasonrysaust.org.au/news.html