Blazing a trail of donations

Tony Bucca, the Grand Master of Freemasons Victoria, and Pete Weeks, the Widows Sons Motorcycle Riders Association president, celebrate at Keysborough on 15 December. (Gary Sissons: 445732)

A Freemasons toy drive has delivered a bounty of goodies for Monash Childrens’ Hospital patients on 15 December

On the one day, a truck and riders on the Blazing Star Christmas Toy Run collected toys from Masonic centres in Geelong, Ballarat, Macedon Ranges, Mt Waverley and finally in a public celebration at South Eastern Masonic Centre in Keysborough.

The procession was led by the Grand Master of Freemasons Victoria, Tony Bucca.

Since 2002, the toy run had been collecting donated toys for the childrens’ hospital until the Covid-19 pandemic stopped it in its tracks.

The initiative had been started by Brother Doug Hamilton, who was Worshipful Master of the Cranbourne Lodge, and Janet Hamilton under the motto of “It’s All for the Kids”.

This year, Cranbourne Lodge members joined with Shriners, the Order of the Eastern Star and Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association to create a new and expanded toy run.