Historic building in a fix

Fresh push to sell Southport Masonic lodge to fund HQ repairs

FREEMASON bosses in Brisbane want to sell off the 115year-old Masonic lodge in Southport to help fix up their own ailing centre, a leaked internal document shows.

The Bulletin revealed this month the United Grand Lodge of Queensland (UGLQ) had planned to auction off the buildings at 76 Nerang Street despite protests from members that they had not been consulted and would be left homeless.

UGLQ said the sale was necessary to overcome rental losses.

The governing body took the property off the market following the Bulletin story, say2008. ing it would enter into discussions with the Southport lodge.

The oldest part of the Southport Freemasons Lodge, the Queenslander at the rear, dates back to 1906, while the two-level building at the front was built in 1959. They are situated on land worth nearly $1m.

The property was transferred at no cost to UGLQ in The Bulletin also revealed UGLQ had declined a council invitation to make the property heritage listed. The Queenslander is one of the oldest buildings in Southport.

The Bulletin has learned UGLQ told members on February 4 that the sale of the Southport lodge, along with other centres in Queensland, would be used in part for the Masonic Memorial Centre in Brisbane.

“The Masonic Memorial Centre in Ann St Brisbane (MMC) will be retained as the headquarters of Freemasonry in Queensland,” the UGLQ email to members reads.

“A proportion of the proceeds of any sale of Masonic properties will be directed to restoring the MMC.”

UGLQ was previously forced to back down on a plan to sell the MMC for $1m to its charity arm, called the Board of Benevolence of Aged Masons Widows and Orphans Fund, after an uproar from local members.

This month’s email to members also said there had been “misinformation” from current and former members about the governing body’s property strategy.

“This particular communication to you is to outline and explain in very simple terms the current situation regarding UGLQ-owned properties,” the message reads. “The GBoD (general board of directors) has decided that management of multiple geo-diversified properties is not the core business of the UGLQ.

“The current property portfolio, with few exceptions, is run down and suffering from a distinct lack of maintenance over many decades.”

The message goes on to explain that losses per year across the portfolio amount to $420,000, not including refurbishments or upgrades, and that income from Queensland members’ subscriptions amounted to $948,500 for the 2019 financial year.

Southport lodge worshipful master Michael Kilmartin declined to comment on the possibility of funds being used from the sale of Nerang Street on the refurbishment of the MMC.

“We are in negotiations with the UGLQ on the future of the Nerang Street site,” he said. “Our wish is to buy back the centre and keep it in the hands of the Southport Freemasons.”

Mr Overman on Wednesday said: “The United Grand Lodge of Queensland (UGLQ) is carefully considering the future of the Southport Masonic Lodge property. This includes consideration of the lodge’s submissions regarding its tenure at the site. The UGLQ proposes to undertake discussions with the lodge in coming weeks.”