January 2016 Working Bee

On Sunday 17 January (2016) we held a working bee at Gipps Street. Numbers can be dangerous things and get an editor into trouble, but I am pretty sure we had about 30 people attend over the day. I really only know the Craft Membership so I will report on that. Many of the Craft Members are also members of other Lodges at Gipps St, and I’m afraid I’m going to lump all Vic Naval and Military into the one group – but a very good group it was !

Roughly, I think we had,

• Devotion Members, 8

• Evolution Members 3 (bit surprised not to see more)

• Members of both the above, 2

• VNM Group, 8

• Sashi S who comes from Lodge Observance in Oakleigh and deserves his own category for always supporting us!!!

• Partners, 2

• Children, 2

• Other Non-Freemasons, 2

It was particularly good to see our new companions at Gipps Street, the Victorian Naval and Military group of Lodges, turn up in force. They worked very hard in the morning cleaning the sideway. Making Command Decisions, they threw out junk I’ve been looking at since I was initiated over a decade ago, and which no doubt had been there some time before. They also cleaned up the choir area, another job completed which had been neglected for years... After work, it was good to see them gather in the South for a chat, doing that is a very important part of the day. Devotion was represented in force and took responsibly for catering and we were also pleased to discover a new Bunnings Hardware has opened about a kilometre from the Centre, it made it very easy to zip and purchase some paint and other items needed. (Thanks Jordan!)

Thank you to all those who turned up. I’m aware of a few people who snuck in before and after the bee to do some jobs; I still don’t know who fixed the mezzanine toilet door, but it’s just one of several jobs which are mysteriously getting done by volunteers who understand we need to keep our home in order and in the best condition we are able.

Special additional thanks to Barry M for operating the recent Garage Sale at the Collingwood Masonic Centre selling surplus items from behind the choir curtain. Barry raised a few hundred dollars from it, but just as importantly our surplus material is now being put to good use by Freemasons.

Special thanks to you all !!!