[Galinastva]

New Victorian grand master of the Freemasons Bob Jones vows to end its mysterious ways.
SIR William Clarke, a president of the Melbourne Cricket Club, was the man behind the Ashes, the game's famous English-Australian trophy. It was at Clarke's Sunbury mansion, Rupertswood, where he hosted the touring English team over the Christmas break of 1882, that the fabled bail was burnt and placed in a small urn as a bit of silly-season foolishness. The same urn is now a priceless artefact in the museum at Lord's in London.

But this is not the reason why a portrait of Clarke is the first thing you see when entering the cavernous Masonic Centre in East Melbourne. Less well-known is that Tasmanian-born Clarke was the first Victorian grand master of the Freemasons, that 300-year-old world-wide fraternity whose strange garb and ancient traditions have long been shrouded in secrecy.

Clarke, also the first baronet appointed in Australia, led the Victorian masons from 1889 to 1896, an era during which the organisation kept its doors firmly shut to outsiders. There were rules that could not be discussed with non-members, hidden ceremonies in black tie and aprons, public handshakes that privately conveyed masonic ranking - and that was how things stayed for more than a century.

Meeting once a month, the Freemasons now number more than 6 million men around the world who combine community service with fraternal socialising. However, something strange seems to have been happening recently to the blokes known colloquially as "the grippers".

Here's a headline from the Albury-Wodonga Border Mail in September last year: "Mason secrets revealed". And another from the Brisbane Courier Mail in the same month: "Masons lift veil of secrecy for a day". And, somewhat ambiguously, a third from The Australian Financial Review the previous month: "Masons out and proud".

The former assistant commissioner for crime of the Victoria Police, Vaughan Werner, who has just stepped down as Victorian grand master after the standard two-year term, made it official a few weeks ago. "Freemasons have made a conscious effort to be less secretive about their practices," he said, "and be inclusive of families and partners."

And it is the new grand master, Bob Jones, who can give one good reason: as with many service organisations, membership was falling.

And he says the Freemasons' secrecy had proved counter-productive: "The son of a Freemason friend is not a mason himself because the son was never told anything about it by his father."

In Masonic terms, the son of a Freemason is known as a "Lewis", a reference to an essential iron clamp long used by stonemasons in the workplace.

The symbolism of Freemasonry is plentiful - their ceremonial gear goes back to the leather aprons used in the ancient trade - but Mr Jones, Victoria's 43rd grandmaster, says the underlying purpose is to help develop men of principle and moral fibre.

"Since we became more open,'' he says, ''we have had 800 membership applications and the average age of applicants is 36. In my lodge, we have a 35-year-old pilot, straight out of the army. Fascinating young bloke now flying 737s. He said he missed the discipline and structure the army gave him.

''Freemasonry gives you that structure but without religious connotation. That's why the world needs Freemasonry now more than ever. I want to open our doors even wider than before." Full story @ the Age

Seems they are going to overlook the breaking of vows, or they are going to change them to allow father to talk to son about it.

So my read on this is, to paraphrase the new head mason: "the world needs anti christian solidarity more than ever now." Oh yes and our coppers are in the brotherhood as well. They all have baphomet stars as badges from what I have seen, inverted 5 pointed star.

[carline]

The Freemasons are going extinct because they're no longer needed. Like anything, it has outlived its usefulness. It's full of old farts and white trash.

[Galinastva]

While the report says the average age is late 60's I think this move demonstrates a lack of fear over public displays of luciferianism. It is now running rife in MSM so it's safe for all luciferians to come out of the closet. That's the bit that concerns me.

[Nmoitmzr]

There are plenty of younger Masons. Most are cops.

[gypearteday]

There are plenty of younger Masons. Most are cops.

Electrician union is full of them too, at least in NY.