So you have an interest in becoming a Freemason, but the question you are asking yourself is "What will I actually be doing?" Every Freemason is a member of a lodge (also known as a ‘blue lodge’ or ‘craft lodge’) which generally meets once a month in a Masonic Hall. There are 37 lodges in Tasmania which meet in about 23 Masonic Halls.

At these lodge meetings members wear suits and what is called ‘regalia’ – including an apron (with plenty of meaning behind it), while some wear special collars with jewels attached. The Master of the Lodge presides over the meeting, and some of the members hold other positions of rank – think of the Master as the chairman, with others acting as deputy chairman etc. Each meeting is scripted according to ritual which has been used for hundreds of years, and all those involved know it off by heart.

There are two aspects to any Lodge meeting. Firstly business must be taken care of just like in any organisation, so the minutes of the previous meeting are confirmed, accounts finalised and projects planned.

The second aspect revolves around the ancient ritual which might include initiating candidates, raising members to higher degrees or installing a new master and his officers. All this is done in a formal ceremony that is centuries old and is designed to teach Freemasons important lessons and start them thinking about their own nature, actions and being.

Lodge meetings are followed by a meal called the ‘festive board’ which gives members a chance to unwind and get to know each other in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Meetings generally start at 7pm or 7.30pm and last between 1 and 3 hours, followed by an hour or so for t­­he festive board.

Apart from their monthly lodge meetings, Freemasons are deeply involved in helping other people. From its earliest days, charity has been the most visible Masonic activity, with Freemasons concerned with the care of orphans, the sick and the aged. Large sums are given to national and local charities, with Masons around the world giving away millions of dollars to various charities each day. They are also actively involved in a great deal of community volunteer work.

In Tasmania, the charitable works of Freemasons are conducted through the Freemasons Foundation. The Freemasons also are very significant providers of aged care facilities in Tasmania, which are operated through Masonic Homes Ltd. For more information about this aspect of a Masons work, please visit our Philanthropic page.

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A Mason is sometimes asked by a friend, a neighbor, or a business associate, "What does Freemasonry do?" The question may be worded more generally, "What are the Masons?"

In either case, the Brother is challenged by the realization that there is no simple answer which he can rattle off "from the top of his head," because the questioner is really asking him for a comprehensive explanation about what organized Freemasonry is, what its principles and purposes are, what programs it is engaged in, how it carries them out, and what satisfactions the individual Mason derives from his Masonic membership.

Some of these considerations arouse the fraternal doubt that "you can't tell that," or "that's secret," so that the Brother's reply is marked by hesitation or reluctance to explain.

Puzzled by the difficulty of knowing what facets of the vast subject of Freemasonry the questioner is really inquiring about, the Mason "just doesn't know where to begin, " and too often may avoid a simple statement of facts. He isn't sure of what to say.

Or, knowing that his questioner is a "practical man of affairs" who measures outcomes quantitatively, in materialistic terms, he realizes that Freemasonry's reputation cannot be explained by charts, statistics, or financial statements, because the Fraternity's real worth can be expressed only in spiritual terms, and that is rather difficult to explain to the uninitiated. Masonic terminology, the most comfortable words with which to reply, seems inadequate or out of place. Masonic "secrecy" gets in the way.

Embarrassment is probably the commonest cause of a Brother's difficulty in replying to the question. He is embarrassed because he realizes that he doesn't really know enough about the Fraternity to give a good simple reply. He knows that there is much more Masonic activity going on in other lodges all over the country and throughout the world, but he has never taken the time to experience some of it or to read about it with real interest. He hasn't given much thought to the subject. He never expected to be asked such a question by a non-Mason outside the lodge. Even though he has experienced Masonry, he has never tried to express in words just what Freemasonry means to himself.

A well-informed Brother, therefore, will prepare himself for the possibility of being asked such a question. Even though no one ever asks the question, he will have the confidence of knowing what Freemasonry means, especially to himself.

First of all, he will determine to give a Masonic answer, one which asserts the real nature of the Fraternity as a spiritual force, as "a way of life" which seeks to improve men morally and spiritually, by associating with other idealistic men who want to improve the quality of life around them by means of a brotherhood which emphasizes the Fatherhood of God.

In an age which derides ideals, absolutes, the concepts of law and order, and advocates relativism instead of standards of excellence, which angrily demands rights instead of responsibility, and which preaches a nihilistic doctrine of individualism (doing your own thing), Masons find it difficult to explain the Fraternity's idealism and its charitable and educational purposes. But it must be done. A Mason must give a Masonic answer to the question, "What are the Masons."

There are really so few "secrets" which a Mason is required to keep, and so much that he should be proud to proclaim to others, that his principal concern in answering questions is probably the doubt that he can give an adequate Masonic reply.

The esoteric parts of the ritual work, the grips and pass-words of the three degrees, these are really the only "secrets" which should be kept inviolate. Because it is impossible to communicate to the uninitiated the joys and satisfactions of brotherhood experienced in "the labors of the lodge," this too becomes a secret because it is inexpressible.

But there is so much that can be told about Freemasonry, about the particular lodge, about the individual Mason, that the real problem in answering the question, "What do the Masons do?" is to say only enough to satisfy the questioner without boring or distracting him.

He can point out that Freemasonry is an educational organization. By means of the ritualistic ceremonies and other educational programs, Masons learn and teach the truths of morality, justice, patriotism, and the necessity of brotherly love to achieve those universal ideals. Reverence for the Great Architect is inculcated because men are brothers only if they are related to God as the, sons of the Creator Father.

He can explain that Masonic meetings, while resembling the meetings of any organized society, have a distinctly Masonic character.. They are opened and closed with prayer. They are patriotic because the nation's flag is kept in an honored place in the lodge and properly saluted with the pledge of allegiance. They are opened and closed with Masonic ceremonies to remind the members of the principal purposes of the Fraternity, which are to develop brotherly love and respect for truth, not the truths of scientific facts or history, but the truths which guide a man to live happily and harmoniously with his fellow man.

For that reason Masonic meetings do not permit the introduction of discussions about sectarian religious differences or partisan political opinions. A Masonic lodge, if it is working seriously, teaches its members the principles involved in attaining a universal Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God.

A Mason is also free to explain that Freemasonry is a charitable organization, which acts to relieve the distress of local individuals who are victims of calamity, and that it has created programs and institutions to care for its needy senior citizens, or to provide scholarship aid for worthy and needy young people in college. Masonic Homes and Hospitals, Grand' Lodge Scholarship Programs, Charity Funds, and the Hospital Visitation Program of the Masonic Service Association are examples of such achievements.

Freemasonry is also, but not primarily, a social organization, which arranges special meetings to which are invited wives, children, neighbors and friends for the purposes of entertainment and sociability. Masons seek the pleasure of associating with other members of the community, hoping thereby to reveal the serious and idealistic nature of the Fraternity's objectives.

There is so much that a Mason can tell about his beloved Fraternity. But the way in which he tells it is more important than what he tells. When a Mason is conscious and proud of the moral and spiritual achievements he has made through Masonry, when he has been inspired to display the beauties of friendship, morality, and brotherly love, when he realizes that his own personal life is the most important evidence he can give to show what a Mason is, he usually finds it very easy to talk about the Fraternity to his non-Masonic friends. When he knows that his lodge is a spiritual force, when it is learning and teaching its members the universal ideals of the Craft, when it is actively promoting charitable programs and pursuing truth, he will tell what Freemasonry is with conviction and enthusiasm.

When he is asked the question he must then decide on how much or how little to say. A brief but adequate reply is advised, for if the questioner is not satisfied, he will undoubtedly ask for further information. The following answer is only a suggestion.

"Freemasonry is for men who voluntarily asked to join a lodge. They were accepted because they were good men who believe in God and hold high ethical and moral ideals. They go to meetings which they call the lodge, in order to learn and to teach what 'friendship, morality, and truth really involve, and to practice on a small scale the reality of brotherhood. They also have meetings open to their wives, children, and friends where they promote an understanding of the serious nature of the Fraternity by entertainment and sociability. Practical programs for charity and relief are planned and executed. The special kinship they feel for each other as a brotherhood is their deepest satisfaction."

 This is but a brief history, first in Van Diemen’s Land as we were known, then later as Tasmania.  From individual Lodges, to what we have today.

Freemasonry was brought to Van Diemen's Land by British garrisons. Some regiments carried 'ambulatory' masonic warrants that enabled lodge members to meet formally wherever they were stationed. The first publicly recorded presence of Freemasons was at the laying of the foundation stone of the Officers' Mess at Anglesea Barracks, Hobart, in 1814. They would probably have been members of the garrison or Norfolk Island settlers who came to Hobart in 1807–08. Freemasons had met on Norfolk Island but there are no records of the Norfolk Islanders holding regular meetings in Hobart.

By 1828 there were sufficient resident freemasons to justify permanent lodges in the colony, not dependent on the presence of the members of the regiments who were often widely dispersed. Some time after March 1827 Tasmanian Lodge was the first stationary lodge to be formed, followed by the Lodge of Brotherly Union in 1832. In 1834 Tasmanian Operative Lodge was sanctioned by the Grand Lodge of Ireland. It prospered and in 1890 became lodge #1 on the roll of the Grand Lodge of Tasmania. Freemasons could now provide social and educational activities for members and organise charitable services for the needy.

Lodges were also established in Launceston and other centres. Some of the warrants were transferred as populations changed because of the volatility of the economy, particularly the mining industry. Lodges at Lefroy, Ringarooma, Evandale and Hamilton-on-Forth were short-lived.

The first lodges were all Irish. The first English lodge, the Tasmanian Union Lodge, was formed in Hobart in 1844. Scottish lodges were formed in the north: St Andrew's Lodge, Launceston, 1877; Lodge of Perfect Unanimity, Launceston, 1881; Concord Lodge, Latrobe, 1882; Dorset Lodge, Scottsdale, 1885; Robert Burns Lodge, Beaconsfield, 1886.

In June 1890 all lodges relinquished their warrants from their parent Grand Lodges and formed the autonomous Grand Lodge of Tasmania. The first Grand Master was the Rev RD Poulett-Harris, headmaster of the Hobart High School. From 1890 to 2005 some 33 Grand Masters have presided over Freemasonry in Tasmania. They have come from all walks of life – governors, bishops, educators, bankers, doctors, businessmen and civil servants. The numbers reached a zenith in the late 1970s, with 79 lodges and over 8000 members. In 2005 there were 50 lodges with a membership of 2,100.

The hallmark of Masonic activity has been philanthropy within the wider community. A Masonic Benevolent Fund was formed as early as 1843 and became an integral part of the programme of the Grand Lodge of Tasmania. The fraternity rarely sought recognition for its benevolent activities. It has regularly supported charitable agencies such as Red Cross, Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul, City Mission and many more. It has subscribed to a large number of relief appeals, both interstate and international.

Frederick Burrell in Lodge Regalia, 1940 (AOT, PH30/1/5508)

In 1945 when the outcome of the Second World War was certain, consideration was given to establishing suitable memorials to mark the cessation of hostilities. The Masonic involvement in Aged Care began to take shape, developing into the Masonic Homes at Lindisfarne and the Peace Haven complex at Launceston. In the south, from 1951 members of Tasmanian Operative Lodge #1 worked at weekends to construct the first dwelling on the site selected for Masonic Homes in Lindisfarne, on the Ballawinne site. There has been a succession of developments, with new buildings and new properties at Lindisfarne and Kingston. These facilities now serve more than 200 residents.

The provision of aged care facilities in northern Tasmania began in 1962/3 when the Fred French legacy enabled the building of a nursing home. Since then, a fully accredited facility that provides a wide range of services ranging from independent living and low care to a dedicated Dementia Unit have been developed. A Day Care Centre caters each week for up to 250 persons from the local community.

A more recent activity is the Masonic Centenary Medical Research Foundation, established in 1985 to finance medical research into problems associated with ageing, especially neurological conditions. The Foundation has sponsored research projects, provided fellowships for medical researchers and purchased specialised equipment for researchers. Other Masonic initiatives focus on education and the provision of scholarships for tertiary studies.

Further reading and references: M Yaxley (ed), The first one hundred years, 1890–1990, Hobart, 1990; K Henderson, The Masonic Grand Masters of Australia, Melbourne, 1988; A Lowe, History of Tasmanian Operative Lodge No. 1 T.C. 1834–1984, Hobart, [1988]; MG Linton, Freemasonry in Tasmania up to 1890, Hobart, 2004.