Tea Tree Gully Lodge Nº 218

Brethren it is with a great deal of sadness that i advise that VwBro Ricard (Dick) Thornton has passed to the Grand Lodge above after a short illness. His smile and carisma will be greatly missed.

Sprig of Acacia for
W Bro Rev Donald [Don]Gordon Catford
Passed to the Grand Lodge above on 22nd May 2023
A great supporter of the Grand Almoners Committee
On behalf of the Committee I offer my deepest Condolences to the Family
A private Family service will be conducted to night and our prayers and gratitude for the valued service he provide to freemasonry
SMIB
Initated 03/03/1966
Raised to MM 02/06/1966
Exaltation 06/03/1969
Grand Almoner Royal Arch Chapter 2016 to 2023
Picture taken on the 16th May VW Bro Gordon Williams, Grand Almoner; Mrs Lesley Catford, W Bro Rev Don Catford.
to quote in the words of an anonymous writer, “My get up and go has got up and went”

Freemasonry won't resolve our problems but it will give us solace and grounding. It develops our creativity and can help us think outside of the box. It can also provide a foundation an order in the midst of life's storms.

☀️☀️☀️

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY AND FREEMASONRY

The famous Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor was designed by a Frenchman, Frederick A. Bartholdi, a Freemason. The Grand Lodge of New York laid the cornerstone with masonic ceremonies on August 5, 1885.

You might know him as one of the first men on the moon, but we know him as the first Mason on the moon.

Buzz Aldrin was on the famous Apollo 11 mission in 1969, and to this day, he remains an iconic figure in space travel history.

Learn more about Brother Aldrin’s accomplishments and Masonic journey: https://srnmj.us/buzzaldrin-moon

Marion Mitchell Morrison (born Marion Robert Morrison; May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke, was an American actor, filmmaker, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. He was among the top box office draws for three decades.Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa but grew up in Southern California. He was president of Glendale High School class of 1925. He found work at local film studios. He lost a football scholarship to the University of Southern California as a result of a bodysurfing accident, and began working for the Fox Film Corporation. He appeared mostly in small parts, but his first leading role came in Raoul Walsh's Western The Big Trail (1930), an early widescreen film epic which was a box-office failure. Leading roles followed in numerous B movies during the 1930s, most of them also Westerns, without becoming a major name. It was John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) that made him an instant mainstream star, and he starred in 142 motion pictures altogether. According to one biographer, "John Wayne personified for millions the nation's frontier heritage."Wayne's other roles in Westerns include a cattleman driving his herd on the Chisholm Trail in Red River (1948), a Civil War veteran whose niece is abducted by a tribe of Comanches in The Searchers (1956), a troubled rancher competing with a lawyer (James Stewart) for a woman's hand in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and a cantankerous one-eyed marshal in True Grit (1969), for which he received the Academy Award for Best Actor. He is also remembered for his roles in The Quiet Man (1952), Rio Bravo (1959) with Dean Martin, and The Longest Day (1962). In his final screen performance, he starred as an aging gunfighter battling cancer in The Shootist (1976). He appeared with many important Hollywood stars of his era, and made his last public appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1979.

John Wayne’s first membership in a fraternity began in his teens. He joined the Glendale chapter of DeMolay in his youth and joined fraternities during his brief tenure at USC. After 30 years as an A-list actor, Wayne craved camaraderie away from the limelight and found it in Freemasonry in 1970. He knew of the craft from his father, who was a Mason before him, and likely from his time in DeMolay.
Duke’s time in lodge with his brethren became a sort of sanctuary, recalling that he felt his fame melted away. His Masonic lodge was Marion McDaniel Lodge No. 56 in Tucson, Arizona. After being raised a Master Mason, he soon completed the degrees of the York Rite, became a member of the Al Malaikah Shrine Temple in Los Angeles, and joined the 32nd-degree Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

The Masonic feast or Feastive Board is a long-standing tradition not just in New York but in Freemasonry the world over. The images below are taken about 125 years apart but it would be hard to tell. The bottom colorized image is of a Masonic Feast held in the former Grand Lodge Building on 23rd St in 1890. The top image is of the world-famous Mariners Lodge No. 67 Beefsteak Festive Board taken in 2017 in the present Grand Lodge Room on 23rd St. The date may change but Brotherly Love is one of our core principles as NY Masons and it is on full display as Brother joins Brother around the Festive Table. One more thing to remember and celebrate as we get ever closer to the 241st Session of the Grand Lodge of New York.