1878 - 1889 Footscray St John's Lodge No 641, Scottish Constitution
1889 - Footscray St John's Lodge No 71, Victorian Constitution
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The lodge was formed and began on 5th October 1877, after a Petition signed by
John Christopher Conrad SCHILD,
Hugh MORRIS,
Arthur TOYER,
Joseph Drysdale BROWN,
Joseph IRVING,
William ROBSON,
Thomas WOOD,
William ELLIOTT,
and sponsored by
Frederick MARTIN, Worshipful Master of Lodge of Australia, No 492 S.C.,
Charles R. MARTIN, Treasurer of Lodge of Australia No 492,
H. W. LOWRY, Secretary of Lodge of Australia, No 492, who was also
Provincial Grand Secretary of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Victoria: and
William ELMS, member of Lodge Australasian Kilwinning No 337;
was presented to
the Provincial Grand Lodge of Victoria, Scottish Constitution.
The Provincial Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother Alexander Kennedy SMITH,
issued a "Dispensation" or "Provincial, Temporary, Warrant",
to hold Lodge meetings
pending the forwarding of the request to the Grand Lodge of Scotland in Edinburgh and
the return of the appropiate "Charter" which was received on 1st May, 1879 and
gave the name
"Footscray St John's Lodge, No 641", Scottish Constitution.
In May, 1881, under the Constitution and Laws of the Grand Lodge of Scotland,
approval was granted for St John's apron, to be of a light blue colour
with a white stripe running through the centre of the apron.
Footscray appears to be regarded as rural as the Grand Lodge considered
St John's as a country Lodge.
At the first meeting on 5th October 1877, Henry Alfred HORNEMAN, Civil Engineer,
was admitted as a joining member, later to become Tyler.
After the installation in March 1878, the first candidate admitted was,
William MATTHEWS - Tinsmith - Aged 28 years
Initiated - 2nd April 1878
Passed and Raised - 9th April 1878.
The festive board in those early years often consisted of dry biscuits with cheese and drinks.
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Foundation Officers of the Lodge in 1878
Worshipful Master - WBro John Christopher Conrad SCHILD, Lodge of Australia Felix No 474 E.C.
Senior Warden - Bro Hugh MORRIS, St John the Baptist Lodge No 1518 E.C.
Junior Warden - Bro Arthur TOYER, Lodge of Australia Felix No 474 E.C.
Secretary/Treasurer - WBro Joseph Drysdale BROWN, Aurora Lodge No 915 E.C.
Senior Deacon - Bro William ELLIOTT, Lodge of Australia Felix No 474 E.C.
Junior Deacon - Bro Joseph IRVING, Lodge of Australia Felix No 474 E.C.
Inner Guard - Bro William ROBSON, Comberemere Lodge No 752 E.C.
Tyler - Bro Thomas WOOD, St John Kilwinning Lodge No 173 S.C.
When the United Grand Lodge of Victoria was formed in 1889 by the amalgmation
of the various lodges, meeting under the four Constitutions,
English, Scottish, Irish and Victorian,
Footscray St John's joined, retaining its name and receiving the
number 71 which it still holds.
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Meeting Places
The place for meetings shown on the pettion was
Connolly's Hotel, (Bayview Hotel) in Hopkins Street.
It appears, that the completion of the "Royal Hall"
at the rear of the "Royal Hotel" on the corner of Barkly and Droop Streets,
before the granting of the Dispensation, led to a change of venue,
as meetings were held there until 1899 when the Lodge purchased a building
of single storey bluestone, known as the "Blue Ribbon Hall"
later to become the "Temperance Hall" on the site of the old Temple in Leeds Street.
Around 1900 this buildng was renamed the "Masonic Hall" and
when the building was erected (approx 1909)
a foundation plaque was incorporated in the front and
also a foundation stone was laid in the NE corner.
During this period of building, the Lodge apparently met in the
Church of England Hall in Pickett Street.
In 1924, the kitchen, rehersal room, toilet on the landing and the side entrance were added.
Since the Centenary celebration in 1978, the lodge continued to meet
at the Masonic Hall in Leeds Street until 1989.
In 1989 Footscray St John's sold the Masonic Hall in Leeds Street and
together with the Robbie Burns Lodge No 88 purchased the club house
from the Sunshine Golf Club in West Sunshine.
The lodge meetings were held in the room where the south is now located and
the south was held in the function room upstairs.
The Sunshine Lodge No 226 became a partner with Footscray St John's and
Robbie Burns Lodges in 1990, and jointly saw the construction of an extension
to the existing building and the opening of two new lodge rooms.
An inaugural lodge meeting was held in the reception room on
Wednesday 30 August 1991 with members of the three lodges in attendance.
The building became a centre for freemasonry in the area and
was given the title "Western Masonic Centre"
Footscray St John's Lodge continue to meet in this centre.
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Lodges Sponsored by Footscray St John's
Sunshine Lodge No 226 ... consecrated in 1913
Wyndham Lodge No 239 ... consecrated in 1916
Ashlar Lodge No 280 ... consecrated in 1921
City of Footscray Lodge No 454 ... consecrated in 1928
Goble Remembrance Lodge 503 ... consecrated in 1933
Lodge of Wisdom No 526 ... consecrated in 1938
Scotia Lodge No 544 ... consecrated in 1941
Maidstone Lodge No 568 ... consecrated in 1945
Footscray Ex Servicemen's Lodge No 640 ... consecrated in 1948
Barkly Lodge No 717 ... consecrated in 1952
Lodge Heracles No 754 ... consecrated in 1954
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Brief History of the Sponsored Lodges
Scotia Lodge No 544 and Hoadley Memorial Lodge No 699
amalgamated to form Scotia-Hoadley Memorial Lodge No 544 in 1985
Scotia-Hoadley Memorial Lodge No 544
Warrant placed in custody with Grand Lodge in 1999
incorporated into Footscray St John's Lodge No 71 in 1999
Sunshine Lodge No 226 and Lodge of Wisdom No 526
amalgamated to form Sunshine Wisdom Lodge No 226 in 1990
Wyndham Lodge No 239 and City of Footscray Lodge No 454
amalgamated to form City of Footscray-Wyndham Lodge No 239 in 1990
Goble Remembrance Lodge No 503 and Covenanter Lodge No 698
amalgamated to form Goble Rememberance-Covenanter Lodge No 503 in 1980
Ashlar Lodge No 280 and Goble Rememberance-Covenanter Lodge No 503
amalgamated to form Western Phoenix Lodge No 280 in 1998
Maidstone Lodge No 568 Warrant returned in 1991
incorporated into Barkly Lodge No 717 in 1991
Barkly Lodge No 717 Warrant returned in 2007
incorporated into Western Phoenix Lodge No 280 in 2007
Robbie Burns Lodge No 88 and Western Phoenix Lodge No 280
amalgamated to form Robbie Burns-Phoenix Lodge No 88 in 2011
Lodge Heracles No 754 and Dormer Lodge No 379
amalgamated to form Dormer-Heracles Lodge No 379 in 1986
Dormer-Heracles Lodge No 379
Warrant returned in 1995
Footscray Ex Servicemen's Lodge No 640 and Bolton Memorial Lodge No 758
amalgamated to form Combined Services Lodge No 640 in 1988
Combined Services Lodge No 640
Warrant returned in 1994
Source:-
The following are extracts copied from the booklet produced to mark and celebrate
the centenary of the Footscray St John's Lodge in 1978
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