Members of the community are being invited to take a look at some items of historical interest that aren't traditionally displayed to the public.
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July 11, 2022 marks 100 years to the day of the laying of the foundation stone of the Masonic Lodge building in Gloucester, by Ian Shaw's grandfather.
To celebrate the centenary, the Masons is having an open day on July 9, 2022 at the lodge in Church Street, from 11am to 2pm.
Visitors can enjoy a sausage sizzle and have a look at some of the its historic items.
Related: Les Potter is 70 years a Freemason
The Masons have been meticulous in their record-keeping, and Lodge Gloucester has written records from before the lodge was formed.
"We've got the exercise book with the meeting notes in it from the meeting in about May 1914, where they got together at the council chambers and asked to form a Masonic Lodge, and its first meeting was in December 2014," Lodge member Ian Shaw said.
"And we've got the minute books from that time on," he said.
"I get a real kick out of that."
In addition to the meeting notes, they also have attendance records going back more than 100 years.
Other historic items will also be on display, such as regalia.
The Masons also is inviting visitors to take a rare look inside the Masonic 'Temple' - the room in the lodge where the Masons meet.
One guy who sat in the chair for three years (at Gloucester) was a member of the Catholic church.
- Ian Shaw
Although the room was called a temple, Ian explained emphatically Freemasonry was not aligned with any religion and was not a religion in itself. Ian tells of visiting Sydney where he met Masons who observed various faiths - Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
"One guy who sat in the chair for three years (at Gloucester) was a member of the Catholic church."
Trying to combat misinformation and ignorance about Freemasonry, Ian says it promotes moral and personal growth.
"The basis of Masonry is making good men better," he explained.
"It really is about respect and respecting other people, other people's rights, their faith. And you'll find that that Masons are generally caring."
The basis of Masonry is making good men better.
- Ian Shaw
It's the caring part of themselves that the Masons are very quiet about.
What many people don't know is the help members give to the community.
They typically like their charitable generosity to be done silently.
Ian tells the story of a how the Gloucester Lodge came to the help of a local mechanical repair business that was damaged by fire, by replacing tools the business owner lost in the fire to the tune of thousands of dollars.
And how, with the help of charitable arms of the Grand Lodge, the whole of District 44 participated in a fundraiser, which bought a kidney scan machine for the hospital.
"The thing is now that Masonry is opening itself up and saying, hey, we're part of the community, we're doing stuff for the community, we're helping people."
Gloucester Masonic Centre is at 4 Church Street, Gloucester.
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