Alexandra Masonic Centre - Albert Edward Lodge #59

01/11/2026

29/10/2026

I asked AI to give me the Top 5 British Freemasons. This is the result. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments.

27/10/2026

WOULD YOU PAY TO JOIN SOMETHING YOU DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND?
And what responsibility do we, as Freemasons, have to ensure that a man understands what he is joining before he ever submits an application?
This is a question worth asking, particularly as we consider the future of Freemasonry here in Victoria, Australia, and what we can do to attract good men who are genuinely interested in becoming part of our fraternity.
Inspired by a post I read from a Lodge in the United Kingdom, I believe this conversation deserves our attention.
We often speak about attracting new members, increasing our numbers and ensuring Freemasonry continues to thrive for generations to come. But perhaps we need to ask ourselves a more fundamental question.
Are we doing enough to educate prospective members before inviting them to take the next step?
Imagine being asked to pay membership fees, commit your time, attend meetings, learn unfamiliar traditions and become part of an organisation whose ceremonies, customs and expectations you don’t fully understand.
Would you do it?
Some might. Many others would understandably hesitate. Not because they lack good character or an interest in Freemasonry, but because they want to make an informed decision before making a commitment.
And surely, we should respect that.
Freemasonry has traditions and ceremonies that are intended to be experienced by its members. Preserving those traditions is important. But protecting our ceremonies does not mean keeping the entire experience of Freemasonry shrouded in mystery.
There is so much we can, and should, explain openly.
FRIENDSHIP: The opportunity to build genuine relationships with men from different backgrounds, professions, generations and walks of life.
FELLOWSHIP: The camaraderie, conversations, laughter and shared experiences that make Lodge life meaningful, both inside and outside the Lodge room.
BROTHERHOOD: A shared commitment to principles that encourage us to treat others with fairness, integrity, respect and compassion.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: Opportunities to develop confidence, public speaking, leadership, self-discipline, knowledge and a greater understanding of ourselves.
CHARITY AND COMMUNITY: The opportunity to contribute our time, resources and efforts to causes that make a tangible difference to the lives of others.
TRADITION AND PURPOSE: Becoming part of a fraternity with a long history, established customs, moral teachings and a continuing responsibility to uphold its principles.
These are meaningful reasons to explore Freemasonry. But we must also be honest about the practical realities.
Prospective members deserve a clear explanation of membership fees, annual subscriptions, additional expenses, time commitments, meeting schedules, dress requirements, Lodge expectations and the responsibilities that accompany membership.
They should understand that Freemasonry is not a business networking club, a shortcut to professional success, a guaranteed source of financial assistance or simply a social club for having a meal and a drink.
It requires participation, commitment and a willingness to engage with its teachings and principles.
Nor should we promise every man that Freemasonry will transform his life. What we can do is explain what it offers, what it expects and what a man may gain through his own willingness to participate.
Perhaps the real question isn’t how much we should reveal about Freemasonry. Perhaps it’s how much we should explain about the experience of being a Freemason.
Could we do more in Victoria to introduce prospective members to our Lodges, encourage them to meet our Brethren, answer their questions honestly and explain the journey before they begin the formal application process?
Could a more structured introduction, mentoring conversation or prospective-member information session help align expectations and prevent misunderstandings before they arise?
After all, recruiting a man is one thing. Helping him understand what he is joining, why it matters and what will be expected of him is something entirely different.
We should not be trying to convince every man to become a Freemason. Our responsibility is to help suitable men make an informed decision about whether Freemasonry is right for them, just as we must determine whether they are right for our fraternity.
We don’t need to abandon our traditions to become more transparent. We need to become better at explaining their purpose, the values behind them and the opportunities that membership provides.
If we want good men to join Freemasonry, we must give them good reasons to consider it, honest answers to their questions and a realistic understanding of what lies ahead.
We cannot expect men to value something they have never been given a fair opportunity to understand.
So, I would genuinely welcome the thoughts of both Freemasons and those who have considered joining.
Should we be doing more to educate prospective members before they apply, particularly about the costs, commitments, expectations and realities of Lodge life?
And if you are a Freemason, think back to when you first considered joining. What did you wish someone had explained to you beforehand?
Perhaps the answers to these questions could help us rethink how we welcome the next generation of good men into our fraternity.
Because the future of Freemasonry is not simply about finding more men willing to join.
It is about helping the right men understand why they should want to stay.

25/10/2026

Freemasons Victoria will reach a membership level of zero on Saturday, August 8, 2037, if the current trajectory of decline continues, computer modelling predicts.
That scenario is less than 11 years away, the independent projections indicate. The current long term net loss rate (1997-2026) is 1.3699 members per day.
This analysis is about cold, hard actuarial mathematics. A few might seek to rubbish these statistical predictions because I am the author of this post. 'Playing the man' will say more about them than me. I express no opinion or viewpoint, I simply share the sad arithmetical evidence. I am a former member of Freemasons Victoria, having resigned after 48 years, on September 3, 2026. I no longer have skin in the game. I am no longer encumbered by an obligation of secrecy/confidentiality. People may attempt to censor this post or try to belittle me, but that would be futile. The decline is an inconvenient and uncomfortable truth that will be published and discussed elsewhere anyway. The numbers do not lie. This post is simply about a robust contest of ideas, expressed politely and respectfully, as teachings about rhetoric encourage.
The decline trend, at its current rate, started last century, with numbers nose-diving through the 20,000 mark, in 1997, 30 years ago. The decline is accelerating in 2026.
If the loss of memberships continues at this ongoing rate, Freemasons Victoria would potentially become unsustainable in its current form, operationally and financially, well before the 2037 timeline. The 5000 level, often quoted in the past as the 'critical mass', is due on August 8, 2027, according to the modelling. That is 292 days away, just under 42 weeks.
The diminished numbers in the next decade would mean fewer lodges, fewer members in lodges, producing less in capitation fees to fund the operations of the organisation.
The Grand Lodge set-up in its current form would be impossible to sustain, without biting into investment funds to prop up the finances. Land Tax represents a considerable additional threat to the organisation's viability.
At best, capitation fees of approximately of $160 each member, multiplied by 5800 members, produces $928,000 per year. Yet the Grand Lodge Office staff level has continued to grow, and the wages bill alone is now believed to be in the vicinity of $2 million annually. Less paying members, more paid staff. A number of staff enjoy six-figure salary packages.
In the financial year ended June 30, 2026, the Grand Treasurer said there was a net loss of $5.1 million, with a net after-tax operating deficit of $3.6 million. An optimistic "better-than-break-even" rate is being spruiked for 2026-27.
The negative trend of membership numbers is marked by an average member age of approx. 67. Natural attrition outpaces new memberships, causing a net decline each and every year. Bluntly, more die than join.
In 1997, the fraternity had 20,000 affilliated brethren. More recently, benchmarks have been a membership level of 9356 in the 2017 year, 7286 in 2021-22, 6800 in 2024, and 5800 at present (year 2026).The graph shows that the loss rate slowed only during the term of the Immediate Past Grand Master (August 2022-March 2025).
According to the modelling, the outgoing 2025-2027 Grand Master will bequeath his successor an estimated 5215 membership tally at the Grand Installation due to be held on Saturday, March 13, 2027.
The mathematics of the decline rate indicate that the 2029-2031 Grand Master, due to be taking over in March 2029, would inherit 4240 members.
His successor would be handed a membership of 3264, in March 2031. The modelling predicts a membership level sitting at 2278 at the end of that two-year term in March 2033.
There are varying views as to what membership level is required to sustain the current organisation, with its present spending mindset including business-class international air flights, and a business lunch culture, paid by members' funds, approved by the Commercial Council.
Speaking at the 2017-2025 Stratgeic Plan, the then Board chair, and the then Grand Master, talked about a 5 per cent annual membership increase, with the optimistic aim of numbers going upwards to over 10,000 within five years. That Grand Master, now the 2026 Grand Secretary, said: "I think is really pertinent at the moment to be talking about change. The old adage of if we keep doing doing what we have always done, we only keep getting the same result, that means we need to change."
At that time there were 9356 members. That level has since fallen 44 per cent to today's 5800 roll-call.
Freemasons Victoria published this video on YouTube a decade ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4qrnVwCs3Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4qrnVwCs3Q

22/10/2026

We often judge ourselves by our intentions, while judging others by the impact of their actions. We know what we meant. They know how it felt.
Freemasonry calls us to examine both.
A cutting remark disguised as honesty. A Brother interrupted before he can finish his thought. A sarcastic joke that earns a laugh at someone else’s expense.
We may move on within minutes, satisfied that we spoke the truth or simply meant to be funny.
We are the axe. We forget.
But the person receiving those words may carry them long after the conversation ends. They may remember the embarrassment, the dismissal, or the disappointment of being hurt by someone they trusted.
They are the tree.
The common gavel reminds us to work on our own rough edges. That work includes our temper, our pride, and the way we speak to others.
Being right does not excuse being cruel. Good intentions do not erase harm. And our ability to move past an interaction does not mean the other person has healed from it.
Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth should be evident in our conduct. Sometimes relief begins with refusing to add to another person’s burdens. Sometimes truth requires admitting that our own behavior fell short.
These responsibilities extend beyond our Brethren. Every person we encounter deserves the courtesy and consideration our Masonic values teach us to practice.
When we cause harm, the work continues through listening, offering a sincere apology, and changing our conduct. We cannot demand that someone forget simply because we are ready to move on.
Before delivering that sharp remark, pause and ask:
**“Is the satisfaction of these few words worth the scar they may leave?”**
*Inspired by the proverb, “The axe forgets; the tree remembers.”*

20/10/2026

FREEMASONRY: ONE BROTHERHOOD, MANY PATHS, A SHARED LIGHT
One of the things I value most about Freemasonry is that it brings men together not because they think alike, worship alike, or come from the same backgrounds, but because they share a desire to become better men and make a positive difference in the world.
At its heart, Freemasonry is not a religion, nor does it demand that every Brother subscribe to one universal religious doctrine. Instead, it welcomes men of good character who, while holding their own sincere beliefs, are willing to meet upon common ground, respect one another, and pursue a shared commitment to morality, integrity, charity, and personal growth.
I believe this is one of the most powerful lessons our ancient Craft has to offer in an increasingly divided world.
We may follow different paths, but we can still walk together towards the light.
Within the Lodge, differences in profession, wealth, education, culture, and social standing should never determine a man’s worth. We are reminded that the true measure of a man is not the position he holds, the possessions he accumulates, or the words he speaks, but the character he demonstrates and the way he treats others.
For me, the Masonic journey is about far more than attending meetings, learning ritual, or wearing an apron. It is about applying the lessons of the Craft beyond the Lodge room. It is about exercising tolerance when opinions differ, showing compassion when others struggle, remaining humble when we succeed, and having the courage to do what is right when nobody is watching.
It is about recognising that our obligations to humanity extend well beyond our own Brotherhood.
Freemasonry does not ask me to abandon my individuality. It challenges me to refine it. It does not require me to agree with every man. It teaches me to respect him, provided we uphold the principles that unite us.
And perhaps that is where the real beauty of our universal Brotherhood lies: in the understanding that unity does not require uniformity, and that genuine brotherhood is strengthened, not diminished, by mutual respect.
I am reminded that the working tools of the operative stonemason have become enduring symbols of the work we must undertake upon ourselves. Every day presents another opportunity to remove a rough edge, strengthen our moral foundations, and build a life worthy of the principles we profess.
The real test of Freemasonry is not simply what I learn within the Lodge, but what the world sees in me when I leave it.
We often speak of making good men better. To me, that is not merely a slogan. It is a lifelong responsibility.
Because the ultimate measure of our Masonic light is not how brightly we shine for one another, but how much light we bring into the lives of those around us.
That is the Brotherhood I believe in. That is the work I believe matters. And that is the legacy I hope every one of us strives to leave behind.
Different beliefs. Shared values. One Brotherhood. A lifetime of becoming better men.
Original Author W.Bro John Millar

15/10/2026

HOW DID THE SQUARE AND COMPASSES BECOME THE SYMBOL OF FREEMASONRY?

No known designer. No single surviving moment of adoption. So how did two working tools come to represent an entire fraternity?

Ask a Freemason what the Square and Compasses mean, and an answer usually comes easily.

Ask when they became the symbol of Freemasonry, and the history becomes considerably less certain.

There are manuscripts. Lodge minutes. Inventories. Seals. Certificates. Jewels. Engravings.

Yet the surviving record examined here gives us no single moment when Freemasonry collectively declared:

This shall be our emblem.

No universally recognized designer appears. No single decree neatly explains its adoption.

What survives instead is a trail.

And following that trail reveals something more interesting than an invention story.

BEFORE THE EMBLEM

The square and compasses were practical instruments long before modern organized Freemasonry.

Nor were they the only working tools to acquire importance within Masonry. The level, plumb, rule and other implements also entered its developing symbolic vocabulary.

That matters because hindsight can distort the story.

Today, the interlaced Square and Compasses identify Freemasonry almost instantly. It is tempting to project that familiarity backward and imagine that the two tools must always have occupied the position they hold today.

The historical record is less tidy.

The history of the tools is not necessarily the history of the emblem.

1696: THE TWO ARE ALREADY TOGETHER

The trail reaches at least as far back as the Edinburgh Register House Manuscript of 1696.

Among its questions and answers appears a reference to:

“Square and compass.”

That places the two together within surviving Masonic material before the creation of the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717.

Similar formulations appear in other early Masonic texts. In The Mason's Examination of 1723, for example, Square and Compass again appear together in describing a Lodge.

So the association itself is early.

But that leaves an important distinction.

Finding the two tools together in Masonic texts does not establish that the familiar visual device had already become the emblem of Freemasonry.

Association is not yet identity.

And what happens next makes that distinction important.

1732: THE EMBLEM WE EXPECT ISN'T THERE

If we project modern Freemasonry backward, we might expect its early central institutions simply to display the Square and Compasses we recognize today.

But the oldest surviving impression of the Premier Grand Lodge seal, dating from 1732, tells a more complicated story.

Its design drew upon the arms associated with the London Masons' Company: heraldic imagery incorporating a pair of compasses, a chevron and towers.

It was Masonic institutional imagery.

But it was not simply the familiar interlaced Square-and-Compasses emblem.

That absence matters.

By this point, Square and Compass had already appeared together in Masonic texts.

Yet even Grand Lodge imagery had not simply settled into the visual shorthand we now take for granted.

The emblem was not waiting fully formed at the beginning of organized Freemasonry.

1736: STILL PART OF A LARGER VOCABULARY

Scottish lodge records provide another clue.

In January 1736, Patrick Montgomery presented Mother Kilwinning with a set of jewels recorded as:

Compass, Square, Plummet and Level.

The Square and Compasses are there.

But notice what surrounds them.

Other working tools remain part of the same symbolic environment.

From our modern perspective, the Square and Compasses dominate Masonic recognition so completely that the outcome can seem inevitable.

In 1736, the record looks less inevitable.

The question therefore becomes more interesting:

How did these two eventually come to stand above the others as the visual shorthand for the Craft?

1739: “SQUARE AND COMPASSES IN BOX”

Three years later, another Scottish record brings the pair even closer together.

An inventory associated with the Lodge of Dunblane in 1739 records:

“Square and Compasses in Box.”

Here they are no longer merely two words appearing beside one another in a catechism.

They are physical implements, associated together within the Lodge.

Still, we should resist reading the end of the story into its beginning.

Possessing a Square and Compasses does not by itself make their combination the universal emblem of Freemasonry.

But the trail is becoming clearer.

The two repeatedly appear together.

And eventually, repetition begins to do something else.

1760: SOMETHING HAS CHANGED

This is where the visual evidence becomes especially revealing.

Records of the Antients Grand Lodge show that a new seal was engraved in 1760.

A surviving warrant dated 1772 appears to preserve an impression of that seal.

Its central device is immediately more familiar:

Square and Compasses, accompanied by a flaming sword.

Compare that with the Premier Grand Lodge seal of 1732.

The difference is striking.

We have moved from institutional heraldry prominently involving the compasses to an institutional device in which Square and Compasses themselves form the central recognizable pairing.

There is no need to invent a precise instant when the transformation occurred.

The surviving evidence is already showing us one.

WHEN REPETITION BECOMES RECOGNITION

This may explain why searching for the person who “invented” the Masonic emblem is so frustrating.

Perhaps we are looking for the wrong kind of event.

One manuscript did not create the emblem.

One Lodge inventory did not create it.

One jewel did not create it.

One Grand Lodge seal did not create it.

Instead, Square and Compasses appear again and again—within texts, Lodge equipment, jewels, seals, certificates and the wider material culture of Freemasonry.

Repeated association becomes familiarity.

Familiarity becomes recognition.

And recognition becomes identity.

At some point, the two tools no longer require an explanation beside them.

Place them together, and increasingly the image itself says:

Freemasonry.

That is the transformation we can see in the surviving record.

The Square and Compasses were Masonic symbols before the Square and Compasses became the Masonic symbol.

SO WHO CHOSE THEM?

The evidence examined here does not give us a satisfactory name.

It does not give us a universally recognized designer.

Nor have we found a single surviving Grand Lodge decree announcing that these two tools—and no others—would henceforth represent Freemasonry.

What survives instead is a progression.

Tools.

Masonic association.

Repeated pairing.

Lodge use.

Institutional imagery.

Recognition.

And eventually—

identity.

That does not prove that no Mason, Lodge or Masonic body ever deliberately chose or arranged the Square and Compasses for a particular purpose.

History rarely permits claims that absolute.

But the larger development of the emblem cannot presently be reduced to one decision.

The surviving record looks much more like emergence.

No single surviving moment appears to have made it the symbol.

It became one.

And perhaps that makes the Square and Compasses more interesting, not less.

They were used.

Repeated.

Printed.

Worn.

Placed on certificates, objects and Masonic imagery.

And repetition accomplished what no surviving universal decree appears to have done:

it made them recognizable.

Sometimes a symbol is designed.

Sometimes a symbol is declared.

And sometimes, history simply keeps choosing it.

The Ashlar
Exploring History. Building Character. Seeking Light.

13/10/2026

Those Brethren appointed to the 2027 - 2029 Grand Lodge Ceremonial Team have been announced.

Congratulations to those members from the North East District 108 who were appointed.

Senior Grand Warden RWBro. Craig Head
Junior Grand Warden VWBro. John Reygers
*Grand Director of Ceremonies WBro. Jonathan Ivanyi
Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies WBro. Gavin Howard
*Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies WBro. Milton Mann
Grand Pursuivant WBro. Gurbinder Gill
Senior Grand Deacon WBro. Ted Wambui
Senior Grand Deacon WBro. Phillip Davenport
*Senior Grand Deacon WBro. Stephen Norris
Junior Grand Deacon WBro. Kevin Richardson
Junior Grand Deacon WBro. Paul Baillie
Junior Grand Deacon WBro. Ross Henderson
Grand Sword Bearer WBro. Tony Matern
Grand Sword Bearer WBro. Wayne Motton
*Grand Sword Bearer WBro. Ken Broomhead
Grand Standard Bearer WBro. Cameron Clarke
Grand Standard Bearer WBro. Ross Kennedy
*Grand Standard Bearer WBro. Roger Porter
Assistant Grand Pursuivant WBro. Peter Daly
Assistant Grand Pursuivant WBro. Glenn Trembath
*Assistant Grand Pursuivant WBro. Neville Wiggins
Grand Steward WBro. Lewis Allan
Grand Steward WBro. Robert Gardiner
Grand Steward WBro. Andrew Gleeson
Grand Steward WBro. Matthew Palamara
Grand Steward WBro. Jeuss Polandaya
Grand Steward WBro. Brent Rodrigues
*Grand Steward WBro. Alwyn Brunton
Grand Steward WBro. Darren Hill
*Grand Steward WBro. Robert Pitchford ***
Grand Tyler WBro. Stretch Jarvis

11/10/2026

Brethren,
The Worshipful Master desires me, to convey his fraternal greetings, and invites you to attend the regular meeting of the Lodge to be held at the Masonic Centre, Cnr Webster & Nihil Streets Alexandra 3714.
For the Installation of Wor.Bro Gregory Thornycroft by RtWorBro Neil Moehr Past Junior Grand Warden and the 108 District Grand Team.
Please notify the secretary of attendance for catering purposes.
[email protected]
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