My Grandfather was an active Mason most of his adult life. He died 1 1/2 years ago, I guess he stopped going about 10 years before that, but only due to fraility.
He was the most beautiful person ever, no way would he belong to anything that was not aboveboard.
He used to go every Wednesday night when we lived at Canungra, when I was a kid. My brother and I were in awe every time seeing him dressed in his black suit and carrying his briefcase. We were in a little country town, never saw that get up any other time.
It was very secretive. I was told by my Dad when Pop died, that that my Nan played a mean trick on him. We as a family on/off quizzed him about the Lodge, but he would never say anything, then one day he said: "if I told you and the Lodge found out, you would find me floating down the river." Now I know he was joking, but the thought terrified me at the time and I never asked again. Even tho I had to have it explained to me what floating down the river meant!
Anyways, the trick. One morning Nan said that she knew what he got up to at the Lodge. She told him he had been talking about Lodge business in his sleep. Well, apparently that nearly did his head in, he was very worried and in turn was quizzing her about what he had said, but she did not budge. Dad said she never told him the truth till he retired. Poor Pop! This is going back about 50 years ago that it happened, Lodge business was very hush, hush then.
One thing he did tell me not so long ago, was that it was business orientated, that you helped each other out as much as possible, trades, contracts etc. He showed me for the first time the inside of that same briefcase he used all those years. All it held was his apron and a bible of sorts and yellowed newsletters. I did not look right thru it out of respect but it was not a regular bible . He was a "quiet" Christian, by the way. Even though his death was sudden (he was living with me), I believe he knew he was going and so showed me his Mason belongings as he knew it had always fascinated me.
He also said he could tell by the way he shook a strangers hand whether he was a Mason. I think when they are a certain generation, they are on the look out when meeting new people. It must have given him a buzz. When I visited him in hospital once, he gave a funny smile, inclined his head across the room, and whispered "Mason." When I whispered back, "how do you know", he said, "handshake, and smiled again. God I miss him....
