GRAND LODGE
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GRAND LODGE
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| Sharing Our Values: Charity - Compassion - Honesty - Ethics - Care - Friendship - Integrity | ||
WHAT IS FREEMASONRY? |
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 Introduction
Membership Qualifications
What do Freemasons do?
Where do they meet?
How old is Freemasonry? |
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What
is a Lodge?
What happens at Lodge?
Famous Freemasons
How do I join?
Find out more |
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download a pdf file of the following information |
It is made up of men who are concerned with moral and spiritual values and who pursue a way of life that complements their religious, family and community affiliations. They seek a better way of life and treat all men as equal regardless of race, religion or social standing.
Freemasonry requires that Candidates hold a belief in the Divine Creating God Who is Creator of the Universe and Giver of its life. The Masonic Ritual explains and teaches that Faith in the Divine is given expression in the life of the man who acknowledges his dependence on God by invoking His aid on all his undertakings, and who prays to the Almighty Creator for guidance to live faithfully in His service. This is further explained in the Masonic Ritual as the loving relationship a Freemason has with the Almighty Creator in which the Freemason prays to the Almighty for His continual guidance and "Divine Wisdom". He prays for the "grace" that his life will "unfold the beauties of true godliness" to the honour and glory of the Creator's Holy Name. This, therefore requires that whatever a man's creed may be it shall clearly state that, by whatever name, the Divine is known to him as the Creator and Giver of Life. This means that those writings which reveal the Divine Creator, His works and His Will for mankind are deemed Sacred Writings (Volumes of the Sacred Law) for Freemasonry. This means that while Freemasons hold religious beliefs they do not promote a particular religion.
Every true Freemason:
From its earliest days, charity has been the most visible Masonic activity, with Freemasons concerned with the care of orphans, the sick and the aged. Large sums are given to national and local charities, with Masons around the world giving away millions of dollars to various charities each day. They are also actively involved in a great deal of community volunteer work.
In South Australia, the charitable works of Freemasons are conducted through the Masonic Foundation.
The Freemasons also are very significant providers of aged care facilities, which are operated through the Masonic Homes.
Each State has a Grand Lodge, which is made up of members from the various Lodges throughout the State and is a representative body for them.
Masons in the Middle Ages constructed many buildings, but particular attention has always focused on the great cathedrals of England and Europe. To build these marvels it was necessary for Masons to gather in large groups, sometimes moving from one finished castle or cathedral to the next.
To construct them, it was necessary to have considerable knowledge of geometry, arithmetic and engineering and as a result, bodies of Stone Masons - including architects - became one of the few places of learning outside of the clergy.
The term "Freemason" appears as early as 1375 in a City of London manuscript that includes regulations for the society; duties to God, church and country; and repeated references to brotherhood.
The Masons used a series of rituals and procedures to teach their trade and by the 17th Century, as their numbers and status grew, Lodges began accepting honorary members who were not actually stone workers. These same rituals and teachings were used to instruct non-working Freemasons about the craft.
From the early 18th century, Freemasonry spread from England to the Continent and then to America and Latin America. It was introduced to Australia in 1802 when a ship's officers and several citizens met in Sydney.
By 1816, Freemasonry had become firmly established in this country. The first Lodge in South Australia was the Lodge of Friendship, which was established in London in 1834 for intending settlers to the new colony. Charles Kingston brought the warrant to establish the Lodge with him when he arrived in South Australia with Governor Hindmarsh on the Buffalo in 1836.
However, because there weren't enough Freemasons in SA at the time, the first Lodge meeting was not held until 1838, when a number of Masons met at Blacks Hotel in Franklin Street.
But no one knows just how old Freemasonry is, because its actual origins have been lost in time.
It is an English word from the Middle Ages and refers to the temporary buildings the Masons erected alongside their construction projects.
For mutual protection and to with education and training, the Masons gathered in a lodge - a building put up at the construction site where they could eat, rest, plan the construction project, receive their pay and socialise after work. This building was called a lodge and the term has remained down through the ages.
The Lodge is a rectangular room with a tiled central floor and seating around the perimeter of the room. The Worshipful Master, who is head of the Lodge, sits at one end of the hall, with two principal officers sitting on two of the other three sides and the other Lodge members seated around the perimeter.
Tours of the Adelaide Masonic Centre are available.
If you wish to take a look at a Lodge, the Masonic Centre on North Terrace is open for public tours every week. These tours, which are escorted by Freemasons, include a brief introduction to Freemasonry and an inspection of the building, including Lodge rooms.
The first is the same as the business meeting of any organisation, although it takes a little longer to call the meeting to order because Freemasons use a ceremony that is quite formal, drawing on elements from the very foundations of Masonry.
This ceremony reminds Freemasons of the virtues they strive to live by. Once this aspect is completed, minutes are read, business is taken care of and projects planned, just like any other organisation.
The other aspect of a Lodge meeting is where new members are received.This is done in a formal ceremony that is centuries old and is designed to teach Freemasons important lessons and start them thinking about their own nature as spiritual beings.
Lodges are clearly marked as such and the Freemasons have a listing in the Telephone Book. There are hundreds of Masonic web sites on the Internet and an enormous amount of information can be obtained from them.
The different forms of dress - which are largely based on ceremonial aprons, collars and gauntlets - are to distinguish rank and also reflect protective garments worn by the original stone masons.
In medieval times the apron was made of leather, tied around the waist and worn - probably from neck to knee - to protect the mason as he handled stone. The aprons that are worn at Lodge meetings are ceremonial and as the Mason progresses through the various degrees, the aprons and other ceremonial regalia become more ornate, to indicate different degrees. The most identifiable symbols of Freemasonry are the common tools that were used by the medieval stone masons - the gavel, the rule, the compass, the square, the level and so on. Various degrees of Freemasonry are associated with particular tools.
Craft Freemasonry consists of the three degrees called the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft and the Master Mason.
There are twelve other orders derived from Freemasonry existing in South Australia, one of which has 33 degrees.
Our Grand Lodge is led by a resident South Australian Grand Master. He is elected by the members on an annual basis, and usually serves a three year term of office.
Grand Masters are no different to most of us: they follow Australian Rules football, they play golf or other sports and join in other leisure and Church activities along with their families.
Their community service and caring is typical of many Freemasons.
Belief in a Supreme Being and the three great principles of Freemasonry - tolerance, charity and truth - make Freemasonry a way of life, rather than being a fraternal organisation with business and community interests.
Most Masons believe it is un-Masonic to trade with each other purely because they are Masons. However, it is not surprising that many trade with each other, knowing that they are dealing with people who are of good character and can be trusted.
However Masonry is not a place to network.
They include several Kings, political leaders and industrial identities - among them, King Edward VII and VIII, King George IV, V and VI, Sir Winston Churchill, Henry Ford and American Presidents and Vice Presidents including George Washington, Theodore and Franklin D Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.
In music, people like Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, W.S. Gilbert, Sir Arthur Sullivan and George Gershwin were Freemasons.
Famous Australian Freemasons include explorers John Oxley and
John McDouall Stuart; aeronautical pioneer Lawrence Hargrave (shown on
the $20 note 1966-1994); aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (also
shown on the $20 note 1966-1994); crickter Sir Donald Bradman;
Prime
Ministers,
Sir Edmund Barton, SM Bruce (later Lord Bruce), Earl Page, Sir Robert
Menzies, Arthur Fadden, Sir John McEwen, Sir John Gorton and Sir
William
McMahon; and entertainers Smokey Dawson, Roy (Mo McCackie) Rene and
Chips
Rafferty. Australia's current Governor-General, Major General
Michael
Jeffery, MC is a Freemason, as were his predecessors Lord
Stonehaven
(G-G 1925-1930) and Lord Gowrie, VC (G-G 1936-1944).
Edith Cowan, social reformer, feminist and first women elected to an
Australian Parliament (in 1921), was a member of Co-Freemasonry; she is
shown on the $50 note.
A number of Freemasons, including Messrs Gouger, Gilbert, Morphett, Mildred and Kingston, arrived in South Australia in 1836-7 with other first settlers.
Other famous South Australian Freemasons include Sir James
Hardy;
former Lieutenant-Governor Chief Justice Sir Samuel Way; former
Governors, Brigadier-General Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven, VC
(later
became Lord Gowrie), Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey, Sir Robert George and
Sir Eric Neal; mayors and lord mayors of Adelaide including John Lazar,
Sir Lewis Cohen, CRJ Glover; brewer Sir ET Smith; and Premiers and
politicians including John Hart, Sir James Penn Boucaut, Sir John
Cockburn, and Sir Thomas Playford.
The Grand Lodge of Freemasons
PO Box 19, Rundle Mall
Adelaide SA 5000
To register your interest online, click here.
You can also telephone the Grand Lodge Office (08) 8223 1633.
As with other fraternities and clubs, any application will be considered by a committee who will ask for character references and will meet with the applicant to make sure he has been properly informed about Freemasonry. The application will then be considered by the local Lodge.
Joining Freemasonry makes a permanent commitment to live in certain ways ... to live with honour and integrity; to be willing to share and care for others; to trust each other; and place ultimate trust in God.
No man should be talked into making a decision like this.
If you would like to talk to someone about becoming a Freemason:
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© Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of South Australia and Northern Territory Inc.