The celebrated cartoon series parodied the ancient organisation in the Stonecutters episode of 1995 which featured a memorable, and hilarious, Emmy-nominated song that contained the line:

Who rigs every Oscar night? We do! We do!

Garth Weiley, the general manager of Event Cinemas, at Kotara, laughs every time he’s reminded of the line.

Mr Weiley, 38, is also one of the youngest members of the Morisset Lodge of Freemasons.

“I work in the [movie] industry, so you’d think I’d know if we were rigging the Oscars,” he jokes.

When it comes to myths and rumours of weird behaviour among members of the ancient organisation, Mr Weiley and his colleagues at Morisset have heard (and laughed at) just about all of them. 

“We’re not a secret society. Yes, we do have secrets in our organisation, but they are tests of character for our members,” Mr Weiley said.

In recent years, Freemasons have slowly lifted the lid on their fraternity, and revealed some of those secrets in an effort to counter the public’s suspicion about the motives and methods of Freemasonry.

As a third-generation Freemason, Mr Weiley said it was those very motives and methods that attracted him to the organisation.

“I knew there was the charitable side of Freemasonry, but the other side of it is it gives you a chance for self-assessment and self-improvement,” he said.

“You get the chance to reflect on your morals, your values, and it gives you a reference point for how good, upright people conduct themselves.

“Freemasonry is for people who want to do something good for their community, but there’s a humbleness about the organisation. It’s not about the fanfare,” Mr Weiley said.

Morisset Lodge will throw open the doors to the public in an open day at their building in Yambo Street, Morisset, on Saturday, November 5, from 10am to 2pm.