Twenty members had a varied and exotic tour of buildings east of Melbourne during Open House 2014 on Saturday July 26. This was our fourth annual tour.
We began at Circus Oz headquarters in Perry St, converted from Collingwood Technical School (where Ken Tabart once taught) and now full of the paraphernalia of show business and gymnastics. We enjoyed watching toddlers and primary-schoolers being put through their paces for potential circus careers.
Our next stop was the Collingwood Masonic Hall in Gipps St., a venerable building. The senior Mason and his colleagues introduced us to the symbolism and rituals of the Masonic creed, embodied in many curious artifacts and designs. It was all quite a revelation – including the fact that Masons dress in dinner suits not as elitists but so that rich and poor members are on equal footing.
It was short walk then to the cosy restaurant Lemon Middle & Orange, where we jammed into one corner with many of us sitting on steel drums as we dined on Boston chowder and other hearty food.
We walked to Victoria Parade and trammed to the Catholic Theological College, a fascinating blend of architecture old and new. It was certainly a space most of us had no idea existed. A senior person gave us an excellent guided tour which included the College’s copiously-stocked library.
The Open House tours are a marvelous educational experience, introducing us to normally hidden parts of Melbourne.
