From "Freemasons grow in popularity in Asia" by Justin Harper:
British-born Australian Nick Jacobs, 41, is an example of the new breed of Freemasons helping to grow the membership. He said: “It definitely has an attraction to expats as you get to meet up with people in a strange city and very quickly they are like brothers to you. And these are people you wouldn’t normally be friends with as they are outside the expat community.”
He added: “There are many older gentlemen who are active Freemasons in Singapore but we are finding that we are also attracting a much younger demographic of expats and locals.”
Freemasons in Asia regularly take part in social activities such as inter-lodge paintballing sessions and pub quizzes.
Singapore has eight English lodges and is part of a district that includes Malaysia and Thailand. Many countries in Asia are seeing a spike in popularity for the Freemasons, especially those nations with colonial roots and established lodges.
Dennis Heath, a British expat and Freemason in Singapore, added: “We see a lot of expats passing through Singapore who want to come to the lodge where they know they will be welcomed warmly. We also have expats who were previously part of a lodge back in the UK, along with those joining for the first time. The traditions and history of the Freemasons has a strong appeal in the fast-paced, digital world we live in.”
Read more here.
As one who has attended a lodge meeting in Singapore last year, I would have to say that it is quite vibrant. The Brothers there where very generous. It was also great to see the incredible diversity in ethnic backgrounds all coming under the Brotherhood of our craft. Congrats.
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