Senior freemason pleads guilty to domestic violence

A senior member of Freemasons Victoria has admitted punching his partner in the head after consuming methamphetamines on the same night he attended an event organised by the exclusive group to raise funds for domestic violence services.

Travers Gascoigne, who was elected in September to the state’s prestigious Masonic Council for a three-year term starting in January, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this week after spending 26 days in prison. He pleaded guilty to unlawful assault and other charges and was released with orders to complete a men’s behavioural change program.

Senior freemason Travers Gascoigne assaulted his partner.Credit: Facebook

The police prosecutor on Monday said Gascoigne had attended a Freemasons fundraising event in Ivanhoe for domestic violence services on May 29, after which he consumed methamphetamines and argued with his partner.

“During the argument, a physical confrontation has occurred, which resulted in both the [woman] and the accused falling down the stairs … and landing on the staircase,” the police prosecutor said.

“A large hole the size of a person’s head has been damaged into the drywall ... the accused then grabbed hold of the [woman’s] hair before striking the [woman] with the clenched fist to the side of the head.”

Gascoigne’s partner called the police just before midnight and made a statement, after which Gascoigne was arrested and made a “no comment” statement.

Freemasons Victoria said it had suspended Gascoigne’s membership and would determine next steps.Credit: Facebook

“My client is desperate to get out of prison,” defence lawyer Anthony Murdoch said on Monday. “He needs to stop letting her come back home. They have a very toxic relationship. There’s no other way to put it.”

The prosecutor said the same woman made a separate complaint to the police on October 17 last year.

Murdoch said this included allegations that he chipped her tooth, punched her face and smashed her with a glass bottle, which were later withdrawn.

“Why does that disappear? We find her not to be a person of truth,” Murdoch told the court on Monday. “It appears as best I can tell they are living together again at that point, and that’s my client’s serious error. He shouldn’t be opening the door to her.

“I’m not blaming her. I’ve never victim-blamed at the Bar table, and I’m not starting now, but they shouldn’t be back together.”

Murdoch said there was a disagreement about how the couple fell down the stairs of their rented house but accepted the core allegations.

“There’s been some kind of conflict, they’ve fallen down the stairs. He’s struck her. That’s at the serious end, absolutely,” he said.

An investigation by this masthead last year revealed Freemasons Victoria’s membership was in turmoil amid allegations of bullying and mounting disputes over the true owners of masonic properties worth millions of dollars.

Gascoigne is promoted on Freemasons Victoria’s website as a “dedicated freemason with a proven track record of leadership and commitment to the principles of freemasonry”.

“I am committed to upholding the duty of care, loyalty, and obedience expected of Masonic Council members, ensuring transparency, compliance, and ethical leadership in all endeavours,” his nomination for council states.

Contacted for comment, a spokesperson for Freemasons Victoria said Gascoigne’s membership was suspended immediately once the grand master became aware of the charges against him.

“Once the outcome of the court processes become known, Freemasons Victoria will then determine the next steps in this matter,” the spokesperson said. “As you are aware, we do not comment on matters before the court, and it would be inappropriate to publish any article before the determination is handed down by the court.”

Gascoigne was promoted last August to the position of “worshipful master” of the Ivanhoe lodge in a ceremony conducted by former grand master Anthony Bucca at the Brunswick Masonic Centre, according to social media posts.

In another post from March 2021, Bucca praised Gascoigne’s “capable hands” and said he was “incidentally” a relative of George Selth Coppin, a former state politician and “well-known name in Victorian masonic history”.

Several freemasons interviewed by this masthead this week said governance conflicts have only continued to worsen, with longstanding members expelled and properties obtained by the organisation. “It’s 10 times worse,” one said. “At least.”

A social media post by Banyule councillor Alinda McKern said the local freemasons donated $120,000 to the Good Samaritan Inn, an organisation that supports women and children experiencing domestic violence, during the May 29 event that celebrated the centenary of the Ivalda Masonic Centre in Ivanhoe.

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