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Broken Column - Brother Maxwell Thomas Webberley |
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Sunday, 01 July 2007 |
Brother Max joined Freemasonry in May 1963 and was raised as a Freemason in February 1964 in lodge
Lyndhurst . He also joined the
Hobart Lodge of Research
in September of that same year. Max as ever was keen to participate
and add innovation and new ideas to what ever he was a member of and he
became a founding member of Lodge Meridian in May 1964. Lodge
Meridian was the second of the new concept of daytime lodges in
Tasmania . Prior to this type of lodge all meetings of Freemasons were held of an evening.
Max continued to participate in lodge activities and became master of lodge
Meridian in May 1973. He then took up the reins in the
Hobart lodge of research
by becoming its Master for two years in 1998 and 1999. Lodge Meridian
closed its doors in August 1994 and Max transferred to the remaining
daytime lodge, Lodge
Macquarie.
Another innovative format for lodge meetings originating in
New South Wales and
Victoria was an early evening dinning lodge and Max once again true to his nature became a founding member of Lodge
Phoenix , travelling to Launceston for meetings.
Max
became a member of the Grand Lodge ceremonial team in 2000 as a Grand
steward and progressed through Grand Standard Bearer 2001, Grand Deacon
2002, Grand Chaplain South 2005. Max was very proud of his role as
Grand Chaplain given his Catholic faith and exercised that role to
perfection particularly in his homilies at each lodge installation
where he exhorted the Brethren to remember their obligation to practice
charity by donating funds to our Board of Benevolence the charitable
arm of our organisation. Indeed Max was a member of the Board of
Benevolence and Masonic Benevolent Foundation in 2002 and 2003 and
understood at first hand the significant numbers of both young and old
in our community who have and continue to, approach our organisation
seeking assistance.
When
M. Wor Bro. Clarke proposed the setting up of a fund to offer bursaries
to Tasmania's youth to assist with accommodation and other expenses of
tertiary studies (both University and TAFE) incurred when living away
from home or travelling to undertake studies a name was sought to
define the project and Max came to the fore with his FREEMATES,
Freemasons Assisting Tertiary Education Students. As a teacher he was
clear in his view of the value of this proposal not only to the
community but to his Freemasonry.
Max
was elected Grand Warden in the elections of 2005 and took up that post
in 2006 retiring from office in February 2007. He was proud of the fact
that he was elected and not appointed to the position ever the
egalitarian he saw election to office as essential in an organisation
such as Freemasonry.
Not content with his ceremonial office which took him all over this state including
King
Island , he sought and
gained election to the Board of General Purposes in 2004 and continued
as a member of that board until his passing to the Grand Lodge above.
As
a member of the Board of General Purposes he put forward many new ideas
and always seemed to be at the forefront of our board meetings with
notices of motion aimed at means of re- invigorating our craft.
After
many frustrations with inappropriately worded notices of motion one of
his then fellow board members Most Worshipful Brother Alan Swinton
spoke to Max and asked him to meet at Alan's home to discuss Max's
problems.
The result was a correctly
framed notice of motion that brought into being a Public Relations fund
with its aim of promoting Freemasonry to the wider community. Max never
forgot that truly Masonic gesture from one of his opponents on that
proposal. As a consequence perhaps, Max was chosen as the convenor of
the Public Relations Committee a role he held until his death.
He was the last President of the Masonic Club of
Southern Tasmania and
presided over the difficult task of finalising the club's closure.
Undeterred with that event he was at the forefront in the establishment
of a new organisation which has undertaken the social roles that ceased
with the club's closure he became a founding member of Mascot.
As recognition of his services to Freemasonry in
Tasmania and indeed throughout
Australasia he was awarded the Grand Master's Order of Distinguished Service in 2002.
Max
was a participant and seeker of knowledge, he joined many other Masonic
orders and held office or was progressing through office in almost
every one. He was a member of the Victorian Mark and
Ark Mariners Lodge and held the office of Master in the
Ark Mariners lodge in
Hobart . He was a member of the Royal Arch and was second principal in Derwent Royal Arch Chapter.
A
member of the Knights Templar, A member and officer of the Order of
the Secret Monitor or David and Jonathan, A recent member of the
Tasmanian Union Conclave, A member of the Royal order of Scotland,
A member of the Rose Croix and Sovereign Council where he had risen to
hold the 32nd Degree. The highest degree in that order is the 33rd which is only held by the head or past head of that order in this state.
Max was also a member of the Rectified Scottish Rite the Nebuchadnezzar Council Irish Constitution and secretary of the
College of
Rosicrucians in
Scotia .
Not content with these Masonic lodges and offices he was the current President of the Australian and
New Zealand Masonic Research Council.
One of Max's proudest moments was the initiation of his son Max into Freemasonry in
Sydney . He was looking forward to participating in the Installation of his son as master of Lodge
Sydney in June of this
year and had been learning the address to the Master N.S.W style. He
had organised a number of Tasmanian masons and friends to visit lodge
Sydney and whilst the other will attend max will now view the ceremony from on high.
Max
had a wonderfully full Masonic life and participated to his fullest
energies in all of freemasonry's many facets but his particular
interest was in mentoring our newer members a role he enjoyed and which
no doubt fitted his former occupation of school teacher and head master
a fact which might also explain his oratory both in its depth and
meaning and its length, a factor Max was only to well
acquainted with but never the less ignored with humour. I can recall
Max's oratorical ability at one of our board meetings where he had by
dint of good argument won his point however he was in full flight and
continued to talk on the subject in question so that eventually the
other board members saw a different aspect to the question and Max's
proposal was defeated. Max took the defeat with a smile.
Max
Webberley was like the surfer who not content with riding comfortably
in the middle of his surf board moved to the front of the board and
"hung ten" over the front edge. He was not content to let things happen
he had to be to the fore in making them happen.
Brethren
and friends our Brother Max embodied all of the good things we
associate with Freemasonry and his presence and humour at our meetings
both as friendly groups and whilst serving as a lodge officer will be
sorely missed.
M. Wor. Bro. R. Clarke.
http://freemasonrytasmania.org/NEWS.htm#Brother_Maxwell_Thomas_Webberley_
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