VMMA Official Visit to Portland Lodge Of Victoria No. 6

 PERFECTION @ PORTLAND

Thursday 16th March 2009

Report by David Hall                                                         Return to Reports 2009 Index

The greatest thrill for any Freemason is to have his son follow his steps into Freemasonry. Wor. Bro. Kent Sluggett was one proud Dad when his only son Andrew joined the Portland Lodge last year and again on Thursday the 19th of March 2009 when he was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason.

 

VMMA members L to R: David Hall, David Kent, Kent and Andrew Sluggett, Grumpy Hocking and Doc Procter.

 

Doc Procter & David Hall travelled from Phillip Island, David (The Duke) Kent Wonthaggi & Grumpy Hocking from Mooroolbark to share in this wonderful experience.

 

The Duke was astride the flying Yamaha (minus tail lights, does anyone know a good electrician?). The balance travelled in David Hall’s ever reliable old VL Commodore.

 

Along the way the usual stories were told of the olden days by Doc & Grumpy. The writer is amazed that they did such things way back then, and if they did it’s equally amazing they both survived into their dotage. The normal fuel, pee & food stops were made arriving around six hours after we met The Duke at The Girdies.

 

What a picture!!! Andrew and father Kent.

 

Kent, Kerry, Nicole & Andrew Sluggett accompanied by Andrew’s ‘Missus’ met us on arrival at the Motel, conveniently located behind the Undertakers office and across the road from the Lodge Room.

 

Talk about strategic positioning! A quick chat and a gossip and it was time for a snack, shower and a change of clothes and off to Lodge. Unfortunately due to Sharyn Wells not being with us to do the ironing as she loves to do, we had to once again go to Lodge with creases in our shirts.

 

 

VMMA members at the motel.

 

Having travelled as far as we had we decided we would grit our teeth and go to Lodge anyway, despite the creases and we were privileged to witness the finest 3rd degree ceremony any of the visiting V.M.M.A. brethren could remember seeing.

 

Bro. Andrew is indeed lucky to be a part of a Lodge that performs such incredible ritual and at the same time does it with such heart.

 

A nice supper was provided and a great night was had by all. At the conclusion of the formal proceedings the Duke & I bedded down Doc & Grumpy at the Motel behind the Undertakers and met up with Kent and a bottle of fine port in my room.

 

L to R: VMMA members. Andrew, Kent and Master Elect. W. Bro. Steve Rodgers

 

Instead of solving the problems of the world we decided to tackle a much more complex problem, how to revitalize freemasonry in Victoria. We concluded at the end of the night (actually it was the end of the bottle) that if every Lodge performed ritual as well as Portland our problems would be half solved.

 

As is always the case morning follows night and after Doc & Grumpy attended to their intricate & complex ablutions we headed to the Waterfront area for breakfast. A tour of the tourist tram depot and a quick ride ‘round the loop’ (thanks to Bro. Andrew) and it was off to Terang & Mortlake.

 

 

Tram ride. Grumpy is all tucked in!!!!

 

The following has been received by Graham Hocking for general interest to everyone

Added 10th June 2009

 

I wonder if I might ask for a small amendment to the VMMA website.  There is a photo taken on our (Davids Hall, Kent, Doc & myself) visit to Tony Cooke's at Terang on our way back from Portland, of a Bristol '4 window' double deck open top tramcar.

 

I built that model, to 1/24th (half inch to the foot) scale, in 1974. It was exhibited at the Melbourne Toy Museum in the Old Post Office in Smith Street, Collingwood for many years, until that museum was closed account persistent vandalism. It was 'rescued' by Tony Cooke, as he had a number of his own models on show there, they were the models of Melbourne trams which featured in the film 'Malcolm' Tony had an Antiques business at Glenhuntly, then he moved to a shop in Kyneton, and finally retired to Terang, I had known him from Tramway Museum Society days in the early 1970's. The VMMA visit to Portland was too good a chance to miss, to catch up on old times, and to see the models he has built over the years in action.

 

My model has quite recently, (35 tears after I built the body) received the appropriate (built by Tony Cooke) American Peckham 'pendulum' truck, and Tony says he will motorise it soon, it can then join his 210+ powered tram models, every one of them is built to 1/24th scale, and they are all digitally controlled by computer on his extensive layout in a very large garden shed. All he has to do is to tap out the number of a tram on the computer, and that is the only one which will then answer the controller - very impressive! With two controllers he can operate different trams going in opposite directions at the same time.  All the tracks are hand laid, and all the models pick up from the overhead wire, just as they should. All his streetscapes are built by his wife Leonie, who is very artistic.

 

My own half inch scale narrow gauge railway models now total 318, with 42 railmotors, about 20 locomotives, and a great mass of other 'stuff' which I have built over the years. They are mostly stored in lots of (Bunnings) expensive plastic drawers, as I have only a six foot long test track. I also have a very large garden in which I would just love to build a nice long garden railway, but a persistent case of acute financial cramp precludes that ever happening. (Keep buying Tatts tickets, you just never know!) I just can't stop building them, it's a 35 year problem in Australia, inherited from similar activities over many years in England,  to which there is just no solution!  Open to visitors at any time by appointment, I just love to brag! Try me! I also make quite reasonable coffee as long as you don't mind Nescafe.

 

It would be nice (an accurate) to just say 'Half inch scale model of a Bristol tramcar at Tony Cooke's, built by Grumpy in 1974 on the website.

 

Incidentally, there's a very long story relating to Bristol trams from my childhood, I'll bore you silly with it some day.

 

Forgive me for being a bit of a pedant.

Very best regards,

Grumpy. 

 

In the meantime The Duke made a ‘B’ line back to Wonthaggi with a stop at Derrinallum for petrol and to see why the Yamaha was running so badly. After pushing the choke button in, to the off position that is, and fixing his ‘helmet hair’ he was once again astride the 1200 and on his way.

 

His fellow travellers had meanwhile arrived in Terang and enjoyed a ‘Gunzel’ (rail fan speak for fantastic) couple of hours playing model trams at the home of Tony Cooke, who many years ago made the model trams featured in the Australian film ‘Malcolm’.