The Canoblas Lewis Bow Tie

The Canoblas Lewis Custom Bow tie made it's debut at the 2015 Lodge installation.

They were a huge hit on the night; with all the members proudly wearing their new ties.

Here it is!

The younger & newer masons that came up with the idea wanted a tie that stated "I am a Mason & I am a member of Lodge Canoblas Lewis # 806" & we think that this bowtie does just that!

We will take a minute to explain the tie; as with all things Masonic, there is a bit of Symbolism involved in our choices of the Tie

Black Tie: As evening lodges are generally "Formal Occasions" we wanted to stick to a black tie as it would fit in with our evening lodge ethos. Thus we stuck with a formal black tie as the basis of our new Tie; the fact that it will have embroidery on it does not diminish the formality of the tie, but it does allow it to fit into a more casual day lodge setting if needed by any member who visits a daylight lodge.

Square & Compass: These are the most common symbol associated with Freemasonry & they have deep importance to all lodges, so we decided to have this rendered in the Masonic Blue as we are a blue craft lodge!
(To find out more on the Square & Compass, Why not come along to a Canoblas Lewis Meeting?)

The Lewis: As Canoblas Lewis was formed out of Lodge Canoblas; we felt that it was appropriate to show that we are a Lewis Lodge & include this masonic symbol in white. The white signifies the purity of our practice our Masonic rituals, And, It highlighted the Lewis on the bowtie!
It also looks good like that!
(To find out more about the Lewis, why not come along to a Canoblas Lewis Meeting?)

The ties were supplied by Trend Corporate in Sydney (HERE!); thanks to Jenny in the Trend office for organising them and a very big thanks to Kosta Ahladiotis who designed the ties (also at Trend).

So Mote It Be!

The Installation

Normally, Canoblas Lewis would only have 2 practice nights a month.
This changes for the month of June

This is the day our Installation of the Lodge Office Bearers for the next 12 months

We call it "The Installation"

For this event, the pomp & ceremony goes up a notch from the regular lodge night formalities and thus, Canoblas Lewis, has 3 Monday night practices, & the Installation Meeting (regular meeting) on the 3rd Saturday in June, at 4:30 (PM!)

It is something of a tradition in Lodge Canoblas Lewis, that the Master Masons who are removed from the Lodge meeting for the installation ceremony have a glass of port or two... although last weekends installation saw a little bit too much socialising rather than listening for the prompts to return on time!

Oh well; We have always prided ourselves on being a Social & enjoyable lodge! AND, in the master masons defence, the dignity of the ceremony was still respected!

The Catering was a very enjoyable sit down meeting; a big positive was the range of meal options available this year; as food goes, variety IS important so as to be as inclusive of as many differing tastes as possible.

So Mote it Be!

Freemasonry & other Interests

Many people think that upon joining a Masonic Lodge, that their lives will be "over run" by "Masonic Duties"; that they will be required to attend meetings all over the place & that they will have no time for any other Interests at all.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Masonry is a good way to add to a mans life & to help him relate better to the other interests that he already has, or will develop. This is one of the great aspects of Lodge Canoblas Lewis, that we are very accepting of our members preferences in their masonic life & we can easily accommodate all aspects of the brothers life into our lodge.

Indeed, many members will often give short speeches in the South about an aspect of one of their bobbies that they have had success in; such as winning the 1st place for Dahlias at the Royal Sydney Show - Yes, Canoblas Lewis is the Lodge of Champion horticulturalists!

So, The Members of Canoblas Lewis ARE involved in other groups, AND this is a good thing, as we are strongly of the Opinion that the worst thing in the world for a man, is to sit at home & have his brain rot by watching TV in absence of anything else to do...

This "general busy life" is what a man needs to be a man... And, we think that a man needs to be busy.

So, to prove that we are not "one dimensional" freemasons & that Lodge is not all consuming, here is a list of "Other Groups" that our members are involved in (that is actually do something with, not just attending)

• Rotary
• Orange District Brass Band
• Camp Quality
• Orange Vintage Motorcycle Club
• Orange Horticultural Society
• Orange District Field Archery Club
• Orange Eight Day Games
• Orange Male Voice Choir
• The Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy
• Engineers Australia
• RENWELD
• The Orange Men's Shed
• The Orange Caravan Club
• Cancer Care West

So many will say, great, you just jump on commitees... what else do you do? Well my good friend, some of the Hobbies that our members have are:

• Gardening
• Fishing
• Fossicking
• Camping
• Home Brewing
• Motorcycling
• Cooking
• Carpentry
• Woodturning
• Band Membership
• Target Archery

This list excludes the groups that our Children, Wives & partners are involved in, that we usually assist with as well - you know the standard stuff: kids soccer/ footy/ cricket, & the wives at Roller Derby ...

So, given the wide variety of interests that The Masons of Lodge Canoblas Lewis are active in, surely YOU would enjoy the fraternity of our Lodge?

Feel free to come along & make some new friends!

So Mote it Be

Post Script: The Keen eyed out there will notice that we have not mentioned Work; largely because the Work that is Esteemed in a Masonic Lodge, is the work that is conducted in the lodge room itself. Whist our employment is important, we feel, that the couple of hours that a Brother can "forget" about the rest of the world in lodge, is key to the importance of Freemasonry to men!