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Three mutual friends – all Freemasons – decided to have a supper at Barry’s Cafe in Point Lonsdale on December 28, 1916.
They all chopse crayfish and after their meal, there was some small change left, only a few shillings, which they gave to the Cottage By The Sea.
Several friends were invited to join them at supper on December 28, 1917, where the foundation was laid down for the Wakanyanas Group. Again a donation was made to Cottage By The Sea.
The founders were Tom Sealey, Jack Kelsall and Harry Hirst, who based their founding of the Wakanyanas on the principle that Freemasons enjoying a holiday, should have a ‘get-together’ as near to December 28 ecah year, enjoy themselves and raise funds to assist underprivileged children to have a holiday.
Originally Wakanyanas met at the cafe in Point Lonsdale, but otgrew this venue and so moved to the Point Lonsdale Public Hall. Wakanyanas continued to grow and so larger premises were required. So, in 1942, the tribe moved to the Queenscliff Masonic Centre, where it still meets today.
Former Prime Minister Bro. Sir Robert Menzies, sports legend Bro. Sir Hubert ‘Oppy’ Opperman, and parliamentarians Tom Holloway were all active participants in Wakanyanas.
In the intervening years, Wakanyanas has raised in excess of $175,000 for the Cottage By The Sea. In addition to financial aid, those attending are asked to bring along items of toiletries to be given to the children on their arrival at Queenscliff.
Each year a ‘Big Chief’ is elected to take charge of the next year’s meeting. Elected tor 2023 is Terry Lodge.
At Wakanyanas the principle of ‘That rank is but the Guinea Stamp, the Man himself the gold’ is observed, so when attendees are called upon to introduce themselves, they give their name, lodge name and number, and the name of their wife/partner if they are present only. If you stray from this simple practice you will be fined.
So, each year, from the Grand Master to the newest Entered Apprentice, Freemasons join together to enjoy fellowship, a delightful meal and listen to a guest speaker. Most importantly, they raise money for the under-privileged children to have a holiday on the beach.
One of the highlights of the day is the charity auction, where a ‘Grumpy’ auctioneer derives enormous pleasure in extracting dollars from senior Freemasons in particular.