Very Worshipful Brother Rod Smith in front of the honour board for the Leopold Lodge at the Grafton Masonic Hall. Adam Hourigan Photography

Founded in 1880, the Leopold Lodge is number 87 and as one of the oldest in the Clarence Valley, its 136 year history is something that Very Worshipful Brother Rod Smith doesn’t want to see forgotten.

“We’re hoping to get more people interested because the younger ones are very interested in what’s happened in the past and history,” he said.

“They can’t get it off the computer all the time, and basically ones that have gone before them had the knowledge have passed and gone, and there’s a lot to be learned.”

The lodge recently honoured Right Worshipful Brother Neville Truer, who has been a Mason for over 70 years, with the highest honour a private lodge can bestow by proclaiming him a first among equals.

“It’s the first time any lodge that we know of has awarded a member the honour,” Mr Smith said.

“It dates back to Greek times, before Christ. It means if there are ten people here, and they’re all masons, we’ve got to have somebody to talk, not necessarily be the boss but he is the first among equals. We’re all equal, but he is the first, and it’s the highest honour we can give him as a private lodge.”

The lodge also received $2110 worth of donated Freemason regalia from Mr Truer and his wife Edith, in memory of Edith’s father Brother Mervyn Unicomb.

Mr Smith said while it was good to recognise the achievements of long serving Masons, the lodge needed to get the next generation interested to carry on the tradition.

“Basically for the lodge to survive, we’ve got to replace probably 50% of our membership every five years, and we need young blokes,” he said.

“We want to give the young ones the story and the traditions and let them carry on with it.”

In his time as a Mason, Mr Smith said he has heard it all from people who don’t know what the fraternity does.

“There’s ignorant people out there in the world that say we’re devil worshippers and we sacrifice virgins and all this ridiculous stuff,” he said.

“Our whole system is run on faith, hope and charity. Faith in the belief in a supreme being, hope for a better world and charity to all mankind. By learning rituals and by learning a way of life, we make good men better men, and that’s the whole object of the enterprise, and not let the past be put away.

“You get to enjoy good fellowship with people of common beliefs in the world, and it welcomes all faiths that believe in a supreme being, and where else can you have that? Masons can come from all walks of life, all different experiences, and when we’re in Lodge we’re brothers.

“We don’t want the lodges to go away, we’ve been here for too long, and it’s time to turn the corner and rebuild Freemasonry back to the prominence it should have, especially with the rich history in the area.”

To find out more, contact Mr Smith on 0490 135 633.