January... AND Dahlias...

Well, the Month named after the two faced Roman God Janus is here; the Silly Season continues on unabated like a train headed to the big smoke, that is, until the traditional End of Festivities at Australia Day.

Except of course at Lodge Canoblas Lewis; where work was held as usual.

Within the Craft, many lodges shut down in January, as a lot of the members are away on break, or, the lodge meet smack bang on the long weekends (such is the case for the Brethren of Lodge Mandagery at Manildra). We, however,like to give the Brethren & other Masons the option of attending Lodge in January. In truth, this is due largely our regular meetings being held "just far enough away" from any holidays that the brethren are free to attend!

So, along with the visiting brethren, a short casual lodge was held with the usual formalities followed by a smashing South!

The Winner is.... the pink spikey one...

First up was a talk about dahlia showing by Bro R Smith, the current Supreme Champion of the Royal Sydney Show. We were amazed by the variety in the 100 plus cultivars of this little wonder. The Flower that won him the Supreme Champion title was a "Susan French" (The pink spiked flower in the lower left of the photo). Even the non-gardeners found the talk interesting!

Next on the list was a factoid session on the American Civil War by Bro R Turnbull; focussing mainly upon the lesser known events of this war; such as the Union Navy battled against the Japanese Navy during the Civil war. Bro Meagher recommended the book "Confederate Australians" to the assembly as it covers the visit to Australia by the CSN Ship "The Shenandoah" & the Australians who joined & sailed for the Confederacy, it also covered the influence of the American Civil War on the Australian Constitution.
Thankfully a Masonic "South" is Different to the South referred to in the American Civil War - Our South is a very peaceful & laidback affair!!

Final piece for the evening was a quick Poetry recitation by Bro Fergusson of "Bushfire". Well recited & poignant to the current Australian Summer.

A larger than usual crowd then relaxed after the very casual formalities of the Visitors & the Junior Wardens toasts & had a couple of "wiggies" (that is "ports" to the non-CanoblasLewismen out there).

Ah Freemasonry; it does the soul good!

So Mote it Be!


P.S.: Please keep an eye out for the Freemasons Tent at the Orange Australia Day festivities at Cook Park & come along & say G'day!

July's Meeting

So the July Regular meeting was a quick affair; largely just the investment of the lodge officers that missed the installation... AND discussion of some "other" business that will make exciting news when it materialises! (You will have to watch this space for that stuff)

The South was equaly as good; with a Lecture by Ivan McMaster of Bentley Zeus Pty Ltd - an Orange based retirement planning company; & the subject was the Aged Care Facilities. It was a very informative session, with Ivan answering some of the common questions as well as outlining some of the confronting issues associated with aged care.

A quick summary of his lecture is as follows:

Freemasons in NSW play an integral part in the aged care sector of Australia through the Royal Freemasons Benevolent Institution (RFBI) & the Whiddon Group (who used to be called Frank Whiddon Masonic Homes).

As our lodge supports the RFBI & Whiddon Group, we were very happy to see that Both these suppliers are regarded as top level providers in this sector.

As for what he does, Ivan recommended (loosely) that you follow these 6 steps:

1. Planning
2. Assessing Options
3. Service Search
4. Understanding Costs
5. AND how to cover the Costs
6. Estate Planning

Ivan closed up saying that with good preparation & doing the work properly removes some much of the guilt that is associated with placing a loved one into care.

It was a really great information session & many of the Brethren left with a better understanding of these issues - even for those of us that will not be needing Ivan's services for some time!

So Mote it Be!

Bentley Zeus Pty Ltd are contactable on 02 6369 1578

Disclaimer: The advice above is general in nature & should not be taken as personal advice; please see a practitioner about your own circumstances!

Regular Meetings

Lodge Canoblas Lewis # 806 Meets on the Second Monday of the month.

The Members will be at the Hall from around 7:00 PM; with the Lodge Tyling at 7:30

We welcome all fellow Freemasons to our meetings.

Dress Standards
As an Evening Lodge, The Brethren  generally wear a Dinner Suit, however, Visiting brothers should wear the attire of their own lodge; Thus, Daylight lodge Members are welcome to wear a Lounge suit, Members of other types of Lodges may wear the standard uniform of their lodge (for example, Motorcycling Lodges may wear their lodges Vests, or Leather Jackets when appropriate). Unattached or Called Off Masons may wear Lounge Suit or Dinner Suit.

The Apron: an Essential piece of a Freemasons Uniform

The Evening:
We like the Masonic Traditions, as these centuries old rituals unite Masonry & give a real purpose to the Evening

Lodge Canoblas Lewis takes pride in the Standard of our Masonic Work & we do our work properly & with all due reverence; however, Our prime Focus within the Lodge is in the Sincerity of the Work

As a Lodge, we accept that we are all on our own Masonic journey , thus we do not interrupt or compromise the work of others of the evening as we like to see that work is completed in a timely manner!

Our Lodge is formally closed with the Singing of Advance Australia Fair.

The South
With the formal part of the evening over, we retire to the buildings South for a light supper.

During Supper, there will usually be short speech, typically by a Lodge Member (for 5 or so minutes) on a topic that the Brethren will find interesting, however, we frequently have guest speakers doing more in-depth talks.

The Junior Warden will hold a Raffle for the evening, the price of the tickets is $5, proceeds go to the Lodges Charity Account

Food is predominately Finger Food (this varies from month to month).

In addition to Beer & Wine, Tea & Coffee are served, as are a selection of soft drinks; which include diet soft drinks.

We try to link the Supper & the Work of the evening to ensure that the entire evening is a positive one.

Closing:
We Close the evening formally by the singing of the Junior Wardens Toast, Followed Immediately by Auld Lang Sine (as we like the Scotch language of Robbie Burns!).

After the formal closing, members & visitors can stay on & enjoy each others company whilst the South is cleaned up by the Stewards.

So Mote it Be!