Through the Key Hole - RoseCroix.org.au

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SIR ERNEST HENRY SHACKLETON
Taken from ‘Masonic Matters’ 8 December 2003
Here is the wording of an advertisement that appeared in the London
Times of the year 1900 - just a few lines of type, no pictures, no
women, no coupons, no gimmicks, no rhymes, no tinsel - yet it
brought in responses from allover England - her is the advert.
“ Men wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long
months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful,
Honour and recognition in case of success.—Sir Ernest Shackleton.”
Sir Ernest H Shackleton, born 15 February 1874 in Kilkee, County
Clare, Ireland died 5 January 1922 at Grytviken, South Georgia, Falkland
Islands, was a British Antarctic Explorer and according to the
book “10 000 Fanous Freemasons” he was also a Freemason although
there are no dates of his degrees or a lodge listed.
However, thanks to Bro. Norman Gene Lincoln I do have the date of
his Raising and his lodge. Sir Ernest Shackleton was raised on the 9
July 1901 in Navy Lodge No.2612. This same Navy Lodge that gave
Albert Frederick Arthur George VI ( King George VI) his third degree
in December 1919.
Ernest Henry Shackleton sailed on many Antarctic expeditions, but in
our times it seems his expedition in 1914 aboard the “Endurance” is
the best known due to documentary movies for Public Television.
What made that voyage so memorable is that the ship “Endurance”
was crushed by ice after drifting in pack ice for 9 months, and after
drifting in pack ice for a further 5 months the expedition escaped in
boats to Elephant Island in the South Shetland Group of Islands.
Our brother and five others then sailed off in a whaleboat on a trip of
800 miles to reach South Georgia Island to find help. He led four relief
expeditions and thus succeeded in rescuing his men from Elephant
Island.
IS THIS CRICKET? OF ESPECIAL INTEREST
TO AUSTRALIAN FREEMASONS
By Keith Stockley
“Cricket is quite simple. You have two sides—ours and theirs. One is
out in the field and one is in. Each man in the side that is in goes out
and when he’s out he comes in, and the next man out goes in until
he is out. Then, when they have all been in and are all out, the side
that has been out in the field comes in and the side that has been in
goes out and tries to get out those who are coming in. Sometimes
there are men still in and not out. Then, when both sides have been
in and out, including not outs, that’s the end of the game. It’s really
very simple, although sometimes it has some people stumped.”
Well, my description of cricket is probably a bit like Freemasonry—
simple yet complex!
It is, however, a simple but amazing fact that Freemasonry in Australia
and the game of cricket in this country, have many close ties.
I am not merely referring to Sir Donald Bradman, who incidentally is
the only Australian who was knighted for his services to cricket, who
was a member of Lodge Tarbolton which he joined on 28 November
1929. No indeed, Freemasonry’s links to cricket go much farther
back than that.
Did you know that the great cricket ground of Lords was named after
one of our members? Bro. Thomas Lord started a ground in Dorset
Square in 1787 which was moved to St John’s Wood in 1814 where
it became the Head Quarters of the MCC.
The first Australian cricket team to tour England was in 1868. None
of its members were Freemasons but purely as a matter of interest it
can be noted that the entire team, except for its Captain, were Aborigines.