October 2017 NSW Masonic Club 9 THE SINGING JELLY Freemasons come from many different areas and occupations, are rich and poor and many leave an indelible mark on society. Adolphus Herbert Appleroth was such a person and is better known for the jingle “I like Aeroplane Jelly, Aeroplane Jelly for me.” This melody, so familiar to millions of Australians was better known than the current hit songs of the day and became one of Australia’s best known songs. It was the brainchild of Bert Appleroth who was born in Melbourne in December 1886. The family moved to Sydney where Bert began work as a messenger boy and then as a tram conductor while experimenting at their Paddington home with mixtures of gelatin and sugar which he began selling as jelly crystals, using the trams as a means of transport. With so many successful sales, he left the trams in 1917 and commenced full scale production under the brand name “De Luxe” until 1927 when he formed Traders Ltd. It operated from Sussex Street, Sydney and then moved to Newtown, Chippendale and West Ryde. On 15 March 1928, Bert Appleroth was initiated into Lodge Vaucluse No 266, affiliated with Lodge Malvern in January 1929 and became WM in 1936. Bert was an aviation enthusiast and chose as his slogan “Above All”. The inspiration came when he was driving in the country and a biplane passed overhead. He stopped the car, began jumping up and down yelling “That’s it, that’s it.” And so the name of Aeroplane Jelly was born, leading to the company’s modern logo of a Boeing 747 within a circle with the “Above All” slogan. Tiger Moths were chartered for deliveries to country areas and for dropping packs of jelly crystals on to Sydney beaches. Aeroplane Jelly also sponsored an air race to commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary and Bro Kingsford Smith’s epic trans-Pacific flight. After Bert Appleroth’s death in July 1952, Traders was successfully carried on by his son Bert II and grandson Bert III, who in 1981 arranged for 35 people to jump into a pool in Brisbane which was filled with 35,000 litres of watermelon-flavoured jelly. While Bert Appleroth is credited with the success of the product, the jingle had a number of claimants with pianist Les Wood regarded as the 1930 composer of what was often called Australia’s second national anthem. Wood was also initiated into Freemasonry in August 1938 in Lodge Lilyfield. Another contentious area was the name of the singer of the jingle. In 1938, Appleroth held a talent quest which was won by Joy King and her voice was mostly heard on radio, cinema advertising and in the early years of television. The Australian Dictionary of Biography states it was originally recorded by Amy Rochelle, an adult vaudeville star famous for child impersonations. It was said Appleroth took her out of the 1938 competition and signed her for three years to sing the jingle on the Capitol Theatre stage and on radio stations 2UE and 2SM. Irrespective of the argument, Aeroplane Jelly, despite being bought by an American multi- national company, still remains one of Australia’s best known commercials and a tribute to a famous Australian Freemason. Article courtesy of the NSW Freemason Magazine Club Hosts STOP Male Suicide Seminar Dr Tanveer Ahmed, author of Fragile Nation, addresses the seminar in Cellos Grand Dining Room. A good range of clinicians, health workers, researchers and counsellors attended and presented at the NSW Stop Male Suicide Seminar, in the Club’s Cello’s Dining Room, on 17 May. Glen Poole, founder of the Stop Male Suicide project, and author of the book You Can Stop Male Suicide, introduced the speakers and noted that of eight Australians each day that take their own lives, six are men. MATES in Construction speakers, Heather Drew and Kieran Toohey, showed the even higher percentages of suicides by men working in the construction industry, and the pressures on them to find job continuity, when they literally build themselves out of a job. Zac Seidler, chief investigator of Sydney University’s Man Island Study, cited an old saying “Women seek help, and men die.” He emphasised that, in his research and work, it was essential to talk to men in their context; and vital to listen to them. Other presenters included former organisational psychologist Pete Nicholls, now CEO of the charity Parents Beyond Breakup. The charity’s Dads in Distress peer support groups showed the following factors are important in reducing suicide: Not feeling alone; listen/empathy, non-judgemental, peer support, practical guidance, mutual help; commemorate the fallen (suicides) meet in a circle/no barriers, build mateship. In his concluding remarks, organiser Glen Poole thanked the speakers, noting that the LGBTI sector has produced a Suicide Prevention Strategy, which might be applied to the wider population. Article by Member, Colin Johnston P RO GRAM M E M BER BEN E F I T S STARTING 1 JAN 2018 Our new Member Benefits Program commences on the 1st of January 2018. A special 500 BONUS points will be credited to your card if you renew your membership before 31/12/17. • Earn 10 points per $1 spent. e.g $15.80 spent earns 158 points. • 1000 points must be accrued before redeeming points. • Redeem 1000 points to spend $10. • Member discounts still apply. • Bonus points available for private Member functions. • You must present your own Member card to accrue points. See Rita in the 1st floor Administration Office to renew your Membership or to have your existing card encoded.