Freemasonry and community in Bendigo 1854-2004
In
1853, a group of miners on the muddy Bendigo goldfield in Victoria, Australia
decided to form a lodge. Over the next 150 years, Freemasonry would be an
integral part of what grew into the modern city of Bendigo, tracing the issues
and trends of both that community and the wider world.
This book is a history of a place over time and an examination of the role that groups play in society. Wars, social divides, the triumphs and failures of individuals in a community are all reflected in the ups and downs of a typical institution – the Masonic Lodge.
From a notice nailed to a tree, through “the grandest Masonic Temple in the colony”, to the challenges of 21st century life, Freemasonry in Bendigo has faced the same tumultuous changes as so many communities and social groups.
The collection of essays is edited by David Beagley, an academic librarian at La Trobe University. It looks at Freemasonry, not as a world of its own, but as part of its local society of Bendigo and of the wider world. It is not History as a list of names and dates, more as a collection of snapshots – creating an impression from a different angle or two, some unusual details, recognizing a face or a scene from elsewhere. Key chapters include:
Masonic networking among migrating Cornish miners (Prof. Roger Burt, Exeter University, UK)
Anti-Semitism in the Golden/Corinthian split of 1858 (Michael Butcher, heritage historian)
Why do people join? Freemasonry and community involvement (David Beagley)
Famous Freemasons in the community (Graeme Turpie)
and more … extra features include a full reprint of WC Vahland’s classic 1904 text Freemasonry in Bendigo: the first 50 years, a glossary of Masonic terms, and details of all lodges and Masonic orders that have operated in Bendigo over the last century and a half.
For further details, contact David Beagley
Rrp. $AU 20.00, plus postage & handling $5.00 (Australia) $15.00 (overseas) for 1-2 copies, $10/$30 for 3+
To order,
download the ORDER FORM and send to :
Holland House Publishing, PO Box 6, Strathdale, Victoria, Australia
3550
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These pages are designed by
David Beagley for the Hall Board of the Bendigo Masonic Centre.
Responsibility
for, and copyright of, content (unless otherwise noted) are his and his
alone.
Last updated November 2005