West Wyalong

It must have been the month for the brethren to visit; the lovely Masonic Hall at West Wyalong was recently attended by another of the members, who's business took them to the lovely town of West Wyalong. The report was of a rural town that is doing it's utmost to be a great place for a person to live; with some nice restaurants & parks in the town being added to by some fun events for all, such as this years "Athens in the West"!

The report was also of the truly impressive architecture of the houses around the centre of town & the Very impressive 2 story Masonic Hall!

We don't make 'en like we used to!

It certainly is a testament to the importance of Freemasonry to the men of the West Wyalong Area that they have such a grand hall to use; we wish the Lodge all the best!

So Mote It Be

Lodge Condo

A couple of the brethren were recently out at Condobolin & they reported that Lodge Condobolin is going well; with a very lovely Lodge building that is nicely landscaped as well

We Love the Sign: "Membership is Open to All Good Men" we couldn't think of a better way to sum up Freemasonry! 

Keep up the good work Lodge Condo!

So Mote it Be!

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!

The Contacts for Canoblas Lewis

We recently made a small change on the Profile & the Blog page; we have changed the Lodge's contact phone number.

Unfortunately, the old landline phone number was OK -  on the Mondays that we were there AT the Masonic Hall, BUT, not much use if someone wanted to make an enquiry to us on the 6 other days of the week!

So, in line with the god ol'Can Do Canoblas Lewis attitude, we changed the contact phone number to 0402 009 700.

This will be answered by Brad (Our Membership Officer...)

Please call this number if you wish to chat about Canoblas Lewis activities!

The land line to the Masonic Hall is still active should you need to use it!

So Mote It Be!

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!