Long time no see: Freemasons uncover vault of century-old photos

By Taylah Baker

May 12, 2023

**Lost and found:** 120-year-old vault photos — (top) V. Vibert, W.J. Shelton and W. Gilchrist, and (bottom) G.V. Furphy, James Morgan or James Phillips, and E.E. Waters. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

Since the 18th century, advertisements in newspapers have been used to reunite lost objects with their owners.

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Nowadays, that’s a job for a friendly neighbour, a police station or even a social media post.

So when Shepparton Freemasons member Richard Green called on the News to reunite local families with photographs of their loved ones, you bet our ears perked up.

Shepparton Freemasons have uncovered a storage of photos from families of Shepparton from the past 120 years.

“We were having a clean-up at the lodge and came across these things ... it’s amazing some of the stuff we’ve found,” Mr Green said.

“We thought we better display these items ... our tables are now lined with articles dating back to 1858, and we’re still finding things to go through.”

As days progress, Mr Green has informed the News that many pieces of history continue to be uncovered.

For now, the focus is on Shepparton locals coming forward to claim their ancient relatives’ portraits and learn a thing or two about their ancestry.

If any of the below photos belong to your family, contact Richard Green on 0417 362 735.