Freemasons step up to Prostate Cancer challenge
- Jul 9
- 8 min read
Did you know that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Australian men, and one in six men will be diagnosed before the age of 85? Thanks to advances in early detection and treatment, survival rates (currently around 95%) have improved markedly over recent decades, however the disease remains a significant and growing public health challenge.
Over the past decade, Freemasons Foundation Victoria and Masonic Lodges across Victoria have responded to this challenge with sustained investment in prostate cancer research, treatment, support and awareness initiatives. From landmark investments in specialist treatment centres and cutting-edge clinical research, to support for specialist nurses, regional outreach, exercise and wellbeing programs, and life-changing diagnostic equipment, this combined contribution now exceeds $1.2 million.
Following a diagnosis, the physical, emotional and social consequences ripple far beyond the individual man to his family, workplace and community. Men living with prostate cancer and its treatments face a range of long-term consequences, including cardiovascular risk, sexual dysfunction, incontinence, fatigue, muscle loss, bone density reduction and the psychological weight of a life-changing diagnosis. In regional and rural Australia, that need is amplified. Access to testing, diagnosis and treatment remains a key issue, with men outside metropolitan centres often facing longer wait times, greater travel distances and fewer support services close to home.
It’s therefore not surprising that an organisation comprised of charitable and community-focused men from across Victoria has stepped up so consistently to support the important work of research, care and advocacy for Victorian men and their families.
A fraternity with a purpose
FFV’s commitment to prostate cancer stems from passionate lodge members who saw a cause that mattered to them and their community and decided to do something about it. In 2015 and 2016, individual lodges across Victoria, including Lodge of Australia Felix, Swan Hill Lodge and Lodge of Good Companions, accessed FFV’s Lodge support program to give to local prostate cancer support groups and research via the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). Ranging between $1,000 and $3,000, this lodge-led giving was driven by lived experience, personal connections and a desire to make a difference.
A landmark commitment
In 2016, there was a step change in support, with FFV making a landmark grant - $750,000 to the Australian Prostate Centre (APC). Opened in 2015 in North Melbourne, APC was Australia’s first public healthcare facility dedicated to comprehensive treatment of prostate cancer. The APC’s model of care is based on a “one-stop shop philosophy” – offering supportive care to men and their families that includes diagnosis, treatment, allied health and psychological support in one location. To date, the Australian Prostate Centre has treated more than 50,000 patients.
The landmark grant to Australian Prostate Centre, images of the FFV-funded Day Procedure Centre.
A key part of their service was creating their Day Procedure Centre, opening the doors to perform simple procedures that would normally mean a day in hospital and all its associated costs and commitments. In the FFV Centre, men are seen within a two-hour timeframe and able to leave and return to normal activities (including work) on the same day.
“The grant enabled APC to deliver diagnosis, treatment and support for Victorian men who have no health insurance, at a custom-designed Freemasons outpatient procedure wing that avoids long wait times and admission to hospital.
APC Impact Report, 2018
In addition to this, the grant helped leverage additional funding for APC’s genetic research program and supported a regional outreach program. In 2018/19, the APC bus took staff and medical professionals across rural Victoria to chat to local men about prostate cancer, testing and detection. APC also ran health check promotions in Freemasons’ publications, conducted Lodge visits and published a series of ‘Living Well’ short videos.
Supporting specialist nurses
Between 2017 and 2021, lodge-led giving continued in parallel with strategic investment. This included FFV supporting the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch (BEBL) in Shepparton. Since 2009, this event has raised funds for prostate cancer research and awareness. In 2017, Maroopna lodge, with FFV’s support, donated $5,000 at the lunch to support the specialist prostate cancer nurse position at Goulburn Valley Health. The following year, Garibaldi Lodge raised the same amount to support the specialist nurse at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre.
This investment reflects an understanding of where the gaps in prostate cancer care often lie. Research and equipment often grab headlines, however the specialist nurses are often the most consistent point of contact for men navigating diagnosis, treatment and recovery. A prostate cancer nurse sits with a man when he receives his diagnosis, explains his treatment options, and checks in on his quality of life. Funding these roles is an investment that sits at the heart of good patient care.
Again, when outreach programs were affected by COVID, lodge members stepped up. Lodge Fraternal raised $5,000 to support PCFA’s work, ensuring Victorian men and their families could access vital, evidence-based prostate cancer support resources.
Machines that changed outcomes
Improving access to safer, more accurate prostate cancer diagnosis in regional Victoria became a growing focus, with several initiatives supported in partnership with community fundraising efforts through the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch.
In 2019, Lodges including Golden & Corinthian, Sir John Quick, Southern Cross and Bendigo Lodge of Instruction joined with FFV to contribute $17,000 towards the purchase of an ultrasound-guided biopsy machine for Bendigo Health Foundation. The funding helped complete the final stage of a $243,000 community fundraising effort, enabling the machine to be purchased.
Using ultrasound imaging to guide biopsies allows clinicians to accurately target tissue samples in real time, minimising pain, reducing the need for multiple samples and improving diagnostic accuracy. The technology also supported less invasive biopsy procedures with significantly reduced infection risk. Bendigo Health was uniquely positioned to deliver the service, with specialist expertise already in place to undertake the procedure.
The investment in regional access to the safest and most advanced diagnostic tools continued in 2022, when FFV’s ongoing involvement with the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch led to another tangible and immediately impactful outcome: the donation of a transperineal biopsy machine to Goulburn Valley Health in Shepparton.
This biopsy procedure is a method of sampling prostate tissue that offers significant advantages over the traditional approach, dramatically reducing the risk of infection and allowing more comprehensive sampling of the prostate gland, improving the accuracy of diagnosis.
The $60,000 contribution was initiated by Valley Chapter and supported by the new Shepparton-Mooroopna Lodge, GV Mark Lodge, Eschol Daylight Lodge, GV Royal Ark Mariner Lodge, Star of Valley Knight Templar Preceptory and FFV. The Male Bag Foundation also contributed $60,000 towards the broader fundraising effort for the $200,000 machine.
Prior to the installation of the equipment in Bendigo and Shepparton, many men from Central and North Western Victoria, the Goulburn Valley and surrounding communities were required to travel to Melbourne to access the latest biopsy technology and safest diagnostic procedures. Together, these projects significantly improved access to advanced prostate cancer diagnostics, benefiting men from a wide regional geographic area for years to come.
Advancing science: the CONFIRM research trial
In 2023, for the first time, FFV funded a research trial led by Epworth Freemasons, in partnership with the E.J. Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre. The CONFIRM Project was a clinical trial to improve the management of low-grade prostate cancer, offering a less invasive and more accurate method to identify and monitor the disease.
Chief Investigator, Professor Nathan Lawrentschuk, tested a technique that combines Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with computerised tomography (CT) as a less invasive alternative to annual biopsies and MRIs, providing a clearer and more accurate picture of the cancer. This is the first time that MRI and biopsy were compared to PSMA PET / CT imaging and there was worldwide interest. Early findings indicated that these new scans had real promise as a tool for better detecting prostate cancer, potentially reducing the need for multiple invasive procedures and helping to ensure that patients with truly low-risk cancer remain on active surveillance.
Exercise and equipment
In 2024, a $50,000 FFV Community Grant supported Victorian men with prostate cancer to access a targeted exercise program called ProsFIT, run by APC’s oncology-trained Exercise Physiologists, either onsite or online. The program fills a critical service gap by providing a structured, clinically supervised exercise program at a heavily subsidised or bulk-billed rate. In addition to the physical benefits of managing and reducing treatment side effects and even lowering the relative risk of cancer recurrence, group exercise provides mental health benefits and valuable peer support for these patients.
“The exercise program is essential to combat the side effects of the treatment, including loss of strength and bone density. It is also great working out with the others in the group as this provides great support.”
“The group has been my salvation.”
There were 1,454 episodes of care and 100 new patients joined the program, 12% of whom were from rural or remote Victoria. Their baseline and 12 week testing show a meaningful improvement in quality of life scores, as well as physical and functional testing.
“The ProsFIT program at APC has been a huge success, with the Freemasons Foundation Victoria’s grant allowing us to provide support and services to those in regional areas, patients with low health literacy and those who may not have been able to fund or find the required support elsewhere.”
The following year, eight years after FFV's landmark $750,000 investment helped equip the Day Procedure Centre, a $46,704 FFV grant replaced a bladder scanner and ultrasound machine, both critical diagnostic tools that the original grant had purchased. The new grant also went toward upgraded diagnostic and monitoring equipment that has measurably strengthened the delivery of the ProsFIT program and related clinical services. Additional gym equipment – cardio machines, resistance equipment and a Pilates reformer – was also purchased to enable larger groups, increased session frequency and a broader range of clinically supported exercise interventions.
“The diagnostic process (pelvic floor assessment through ultrasound) was quicker and more comfortable. Staff could explain everything clearly with the new imaging.”
FFV Board Directors at the APC Day Procedure Centre.
Upskilling and expanding nursing support
Last year, a $17,000 donation from FFV, in combination with the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Victoria, and the WeCare Foundation was made to support the professional development of Victoria’s Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses. Ongoing training is vital to keep specialist nurses up to date with the latest advancements in research, treatment options and patient care strategies. It ensures they have the necessary skills and knowledge to provide the highest quality care, offer appropriate emotional support, and navigate complex clinical scenarios.
A further investment from FFV in 2025 went to the Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) Clinic at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne – a nurse-led model that provides holistic care to support men managing the significant and complex side effects of ADT for advanced prostate cancer. The clinic supports men as they begin hormone therapy, with specialist nurses providing information, guidance and ongoing care, as well as referrals to an exercise physiologist and other health professionals as required.
“It's so rewarding to meet men and their families who are often feeling overwhelmed and at their most vulnerable and being able to offer guidance, information about treatments and outcomes, and reassurance that they do not need to navigate this diagnosis on their own.”
Molly Trethewey, St Vincent’s Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse
Since receiving support from Freemasons Foundation Victoria, the clinic has treated 248 new patients, many of whom come from regional communities.
Enduring impact for men and their families
FFV is playing the long game to help improve early diagnosis, treatments, outcomes and quality of life for men facing prostate cancer. The combined investment in prostate cancer over the past decade demonstrates a deep and multi-faceted response to a disease that touches the lives of members of the Freemasons community and, through them, their families, Lodges and wider community.
This sustained investment in research, training, equipment, awareness and health system infrastructure is having a significantly positive impact: from equipment that means men in Shepparton can have a safer biopsy, to a research trial that may one day change the way prostate cancer is treated for men across Australia; from specialist nurses across metropolitan and regional Victoria to replacement equipment for a clinic that has been a partner since 2016; from community outreach encouraging men to get tested and to talk to their mates, to support for a clinic for men living with the hardest stages of advanced disease.
We look forward to continuing to support initiatives like these that lead to a stronger and healthier Victoria. You too can add your support by donating to FFV.
