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  • The Masonic Illustrated
  • Aug. 1, 1905
  • Page 4
  • Some Notes on Freemasonry in Austraiasia .– –(Continued).
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The Masonic Illustrated, Aug. 1, 1905: Page 4

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    Article Some Notes on Freemasonry in Austraiasia .– –(Continued). ← Page 3 of 4 →
Page 4

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Some Notes On Freemasonry In Austraiasia .– –(Continued).

Hon . George Selth Coppin , M . L . A . 188 3 Hon James Brown Patterson , M . L . A . 1886 David Monro 1888 Bro . Coppin celebrated his eighty-sixth birthday at his seaside residence , near Melbourne , in 1905 . He is a native

of Steyning , in Sussex , and his father was a medical man . He arrived in S ydney in 18 43 , and thenceforth was actively and popularly connected with the Australian stage during a long period of years , and at different times occupied a seat in both of the Victorian Legislative Houses .

DU . W . HALLS-HEADLEY , FOURTH GRAXI ) MASTER OF VICTOIUA . During the six years just mentioned it will readil y be conceived that much unrest prevailed between the two rival communities , not to omit extreme bitterness of feeling . The

brethren of the English , Irish and Scotch Constitutions were , of course , forbidden to visit the irregular lodges , and further , from England came orders that the English Knights Templar belonging to the so-called Grand Lodge were to be cut off . On the other hand , the Grand Mark Lodge declined to

interfere . But the strife came to an end with the visit of the Earl of Carnarvon in 1888 , at the close of which year a strong committee of all the English , Irish , and Scottish lodges was formed to arrange preliminaries for the inauguration of a regular Grand Lodge . At the outset there were some inclined to oppose the inchision of the existing

unrecognised Grand Lodge ; but happily this difficulty was easil y surmounted , and eventually all was in train for an amalgamation of the two conflicting bodies , with Sir William

Clarke as the first Grand Master . The United Grand Lodge of Victoria was inaugurated in the Town Hall of Melbourne , with much circumstance , on March 21 st , 188 9 , and the Grand Master was installed b y Lord Carrington , the Grand Master of New South Wales , assisted by the Grand Master of South Australia , Chief Justice Way , who delivered

what has been considered by many who were privileged to hear it , as his greatest oratorical effort . Not the least interesting feature of the proceedings was the unveiling and the presentation by the painter , Bro . J . C Waite , a member of the Royal Society of Brilish Artists , of a life-size portrait

of Sir William Clarke , which is now in Freemasons' Hall , Melbourne . The new Grand Lodge was composed of ninetyfour English lodges , sixteen Irish , thirteen Scotch , and eighteen of the Victorians , making a grand total of one hundred and forty-one lodges , and its aggregate up to the close of / 904 was one hundred and eighty-four . Here are the Grand Masters of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria : —

Hon . Sir V illiam John Clarke , Bart ., M . L . C . ... ' 188 9 Right Hon . Baron Brassey , G . C . M . G . 18 9 6 Hon . Sir Alexander James Peacock 1900 Dr . Walter Balls- Headley 1905 Of the four Grand Masters of Victoria , it can truly be

said of Sir William Clarke that his very sudden death on the 15 th of May , 18 97 , caused the profoundest grief , not only amongst the Craft , but throughout Australia . In 18 9 6 he had resigned the office of Grand Master , in favour of Lord Brassey , the new Governor of the colony , for whom he consented to act as Pro Grand Alaster . One of the most

generous hearted of men , he was consequently in his element as head of the Masonic body , whilst his benefactions to hospitals , to the Indian Famine Fund , to the Anglican Cathedral , Trinity- College , Melbourne , the foundation of a collegiate scholarship of music , and contributions in other ways to the promotion of art , science , and agriculture , were

of a princely character . Sir William Clarke ' s career and disposition , indeed , were succinctly summed up in the following quotation from the leading Melbourne newspaper : — " He was an exceptional instance in Victoria of a great landowner who lived up to the traditions of the

English race of hereditary landowners . He took a public position , whilst modestly ( to translate his Latin motto , Si ^ niim qiuvrens in Yellerc ) ' seeking a sign in a fleece . ' His accumulated riches excited no envy , as he wisely and generously dispensed them . He was an

example of how great fortunes can be so utilised as to be beneficial to the public at large . The poorest never had a word of reproach for him . He was an Australian . He accumulated to spend in his own land . "

Sir William Clarke , it may be added , was , in 1882 , gazetted a baronet , in fact , the only Victorian ever so distinguished . During a visit to England he was also made an honorary LL . D . of Cambridge . And lastly , his memory and worth have been perpetuated by the erection in Melbourne of a beautiful monument in marble b y a Melbourne sculptor " in

recognition and memory of the patriotism , good citizenship , public munificence , and private generosity and kindness of heart by which he was distinguished . "

1 SRO . JOHN HRAI . M , I ' . lt . G . M ., GUAM ) SECUETAUV OF VICTORIA . Dr . Balls-Headley , the present Grand Master , in his earlier days passed the chair of the Meridian Lodge of St . John , No . 729 , and was also District Senior Grand Warden of Victoria under the English Constitution , and

“The Masonic Illustrated: 1905-08-01, Page 4” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 4 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mil/issues/mil_01081905/page/4/.
  • List
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Title Category Page
Untitled Article 1
Some Notes on Freemasonry in Austraiasia .– –(Continued). Article 2
Provincial Grand Lodge of Essex. Article 5
Provincial Grand Lodge of Shropshire. Article 6
Provincial Grand Lodge of Surrey. Article 7
Installation Meeting of the Sanctuary Lodge, No. 3051. Article 9
Untitled Article 9
Untitled Ad 10
Untitled Ad 10
Grand Lodge and the Grand Master. Article 10
At the Sign of the Perfect Ashlar Article 11
Untitled Ad 13
Untitled Ad 14
The Grand Lodge of France. Article 15
A Short History of the Lodge of Emulation, No. 21. Article 17
Untitled Ad 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Some Notes On Freemasonry In Austraiasia .– –(Continued).

Hon . George Selth Coppin , M . L . A . 188 3 Hon James Brown Patterson , M . L . A . 1886 David Monro 1888 Bro . Coppin celebrated his eighty-sixth birthday at his seaside residence , near Melbourne , in 1905 . He is a native

of Steyning , in Sussex , and his father was a medical man . He arrived in S ydney in 18 43 , and thenceforth was actively and popularly connected with the Australian stage during a long period of years , and at different times occupied a seat in both of the Victorian Legislative Houses .

DU . W . HALLS-HEADLEY , FOURTH GRAXI ) MASTER OF VICTOIUA . During the six years just mentioned it will readil y be conceived that much unrest prevailed between the two rival communities , not to omit extreme bitterness of feeling . The

brethren of the English , Irish and Scotch Constitutions were , of course , forbidden to visit the irregular lodges , and further , from England came orders that the English Knights Templar belonging to the so-called Grand Lodge were to be cut off . On the other hand , the Grand Mark Lodge declined to

interfere . But the strife came to an end with the visit of the Earl of Carnarvon in 1888 , at the close of which year a strong committee of all the English , Irish , and Scottish lodges was formed to arrange preliminaries for the inauguration of a regular Grand Lodge . At the outset there were some inclined to oppose the inchision of the existing

unrecognised Grand Lodge ; but happily this difficulty was easil y surmounted , and eventually all was in train for an amalgamation of the two conflicting bodies , with Sir William

Clarke as the first Grand Master . The United Grand Lodge of Victoria was inaugurated in the Town Hall of Melbourne , with much circumstance , on March 21 st , 188 9 , and the Grand Master was installed b y Lord Carrington , the Grand Master of New South Wales , assisted by the Grand Master of South Australia , Chief Justice Way , who delivered

what has been considered by many who were privileged to hear it , as his greatest oratorical effort . Not the least interesting feature of the proceedings was the unveiling and the presentation by the painter , Bro . J . C Waite , a member of the Royal Society of Brilish Artists , of a life-size portrait

of Sir William Clarke , which is now in Freemasons' Hall , Melbourne . The new Grand Lodge was composed of ninetyfour English lodges , sixteen Irish , thirteen Scotch , and eighteen of the Victorians , making a grand total of one hundred and forty-one lodges , and its aggregate up to the close of / 904 was one hundred and eighty-four . Here are the Grand Masters of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria : —

Hon . Sir V illiam John Clarke , Bart ., M . L . C . ... ' 188 9 Right Hon . Baron Brassey , G . C . M . G . 18 9 6 Hon . Sir Alexander James Peacock 1900 Dr . Walter Balls- Headley 1905 Of the four Grand Masters of Victoria , it can truly be

said of Sir William Clarke that his very sudden death on the 15 th of May , 18 97 , caused the profoundest grief , not only amongst the Craft , but throughout Australia . In 18 9 6 he had resigned the office of Grand Master , in favour of Lord Brassey , the new Governor of the colony , for whom he consented to act as Pro Grand Alaster . One of the most

generous hearted of men , he was consequently in his element as head of the Masonic body , whilst his benefactions to hospitals , to the Indian Famine Fund , to the Anglican Cathedral , Trinity- College , Melbourne , the foundation of a collegiate scholarship of music , and contributions in other ways to the promotion of art , science , and agriculture , were

of a princely character . Sir William Clarke ' s career and disposition , indeed , were succinctly summed up in the following quotation from the leading Melbourne newspaper : — " He was an exceptional instance in Victoria of a great landowner who lived up to the traditions of the

English race of hereditary landowners . He took a public position , whilst modestly ( to translate his Latin motto , Si ^ niim qiuvrens in Yellerc ) ' seeking a sign in a fleece . ' His accumulated riches excited no envy , as he wisely and generously dispensed them . He was an

example of how great fortunes can be so utilised as to be beneficial to the public at large . The poorest never had a word of reproach for him . He was an Australian . He accumulated to spend in his own land . "

Sir William Clarke , it may be added , was , in 1882 , gazetted a baronet , in fact , the only Victorian ever so distinguished . During a visit to England he was also made an honorary LL . D . of Cambridge . And lastly , his memory and worth have been perpetuated by the erection in Melbourne of a beautiful monument in marble b y a Melbourne sculptor " in

recognition and memory of the patriotism , good citizenship , public munificence , and private generosity and kindness of heart by which he was distinguished . "

1 SRO . JOHN HRAI . M , I ' . lt . G . M ., GUAM ) SECUETAUV OF VICTORIA . Dr . Balls-Headley , the present Grand Master , in his earlier days passed the chair of the Meridian Lodge of St . John , No . 729 , and was also District Senior Grand Warden of Victoria under the English Constitution , and

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