Community
15 May, 2025
Masonic lodge shuts down
THE Mount Shadwell Masonic Lodge hosted its final meeting over the weekend, ending 129 years of its members quietly working to better their community.
Members of the Mount Shadwell Masonic Lodge gathered in fellowship for the last time on Saturday (May 9).
The lodge had first opened its doors on July 2, 1896 but an aging membership who are looking to travel has resulted in the decision to amalgamate its membership with the Leura Lodge in Camperdown.
Mount Shadwell Lodge worshipful master Michael Gilmour said it was a difficult decision to close the lodge but acknowledged a sense of optimism for what will become a burgeoning Leura Lodge.
“It’s proven to be a good move – it bolsters their numbers, and in a way is very much a continuation of Mount Shadwell,” he said.
“Back in 1896 it was Leura Lodge that sponsored the opening of the Mount Shadwell Lodge, so we’re actually just going back to our mother lodge.
“The Mount Shadwell Lodge has done remarkable things over its 129 years.
“If you look on our honour board you will see a lot of familiar names – a lot of people the streets around Mortlake are named after because of the work they had done to support the formation of the community in those days.
“It’s unfortunate to close the Mount Shadwell Lodge but we are going back to our mother lodge, and if there’s ever interest to re-establish the lodge again, it will certainly happen.”
Among those in attendance on Saturday was south west district coordinator Peter Barrand.
He said the Mount Shadwell Lodge had made a positive difference in its community, including a $300,000 donation to Let’s Talk Foundation in 2021.
“The Freemasons Foundation has invested quite a bit of money because if you give the freemasons a dollar, they’ll put two back in to the community with the assistance of the foundation,” Mr Barrand said.
“There’s a matching grant for any worthy cause, and there’s not too many organisations which will do that.
“It makes a big difference – in addition to a lot of school scholarships being given out.
“Freemasonry Victoria has always been very good when it comes to donations because one of the tenants of our foundation is charity.”
While giving back to the community is a core tenant, so too is the positive impacts made through building connections and lasting friendships.
“Freemasonry brings people together – we can talk to each other, we support each other,” Mr Barrand said.
“One of our cornerstones is about supporting each other, and our families.
“It is a very sad day to have lost the lodge, but the friendships everyone has made will continue.
“I know that if I find myself driving through Mortlake, I’ll see members around the community so it’s not like we’ve lost our connections.
“You join a lodge, but you find a network – it’s what makes freemasonry such a fantastic organisation.”
Mr Gilmour said he was confident the bonds built over the history of the Mount Shadwell Lodge would remain as strong in to the future as it had been in the past.
“Freemasonry is a brotherhood, every other member can explicitly be trusted, and that’s worldwide,” he said.
“You’d be amazed how many freemasons in Australia have travelled overseas and linked up with other members – it’s unbelievable – they get over there, feel a little bit lost, and can reach out to the local lodge and be connected to a brotherhood they can rely on.
“It was put in to practice a couple of years ago when my father travelled to Scotland and linked up with a number of lodges – the people there looked after him.
“When people have been ill or their widows needed assistance, our members have been there, and it’s not well known because a lot of the work is done behind the scenes.”
Mr Barrand said it was around the 1950s when it was determined Freemasonry had grown too large in membership, leading to a concerted effort to be more private in their affairs – which he fears was ultimately counterproductive.
He hopes, moving forward, Masonic Lodges do more to shine a light on the positive impacts its members have on the community.
“As membership started to drop off, we forgot to start talking about it again,” he said.
“Now we need to be out there letting people know what we do.”
Read More: Mortlake