Edition: 1 - All-round
Country
Section: Local, pg. 003
VICTORIAN Freemasons have pulled the skeletons from their closets
and turned them over to science.
The handover was part of a national move to phase out the use of real
human bones in secret rituals, said Victorian Masonic administrator
Geoff Becker. ``We're going to plastic ones.'' According to
Mr Becker, contemporary Freemasons believe it's no longer socially
acceptable to keep ``original'' bones. Nor do they want them
inadvertently discovered or handled by non-Freemasons.
``A few years back there was an interstate incident where children
came into a centre and found and handled the bones. That upset the
Masonic community,'' he said.
Already, NSW has disposed of its bones ``appropriately'' and smaller
states and territories are following suit, said NSW grand secretary
Chris Craven.
Mr Becker co-ordinated the collection of skeletons, skulls and thigh-bones
from Masonic centres around Victoria.
He then delivered them to associate professor Chris Briggs of Melbourne
University's Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology.
``It's mostly odds and sods, but surprisingly there were a number
of complete skeletons,'' said Professor Briggs, who confessed he
was ``surprised'' when Mr Becker first contacted him three years
ago.
Today, after assessment and processing, 20 complete skeletons and
about 50 individual bones are housed at the university.
Because Professor Briggs recognised that some of the bones were Aboriginal,
the remainder were sent to Museum Victoria, to be readied
for return to their community.
``We have repatriated 278 and have 205 individuals approved for repatriation,
packed and awaiting collection by community groups,''
said Robin Hirst, director of collections, research and exhibitions
at the museum.
At the university the bones were used as teaching aids for medical,
dental, physiotherapy and science students.
According to Mr Becker, his organisation had no idea where their bones
came from. ``They go back 150-odd years and there's no history
on them,'' Mr Becker claimed. Freemasons use skulls and leg bones
as symbols of mortality in initiation ceremonies such as the
so-called Scottish rite.
Copyright 2003 / The Australian
