Freemasons Community to Stroke Community

Life After Hospital

Hi, I'm Michael and I'm a stroke survivor.

As some of you know, I sit on the Board of Stroke Recovery Victoria (SRV), formerly known as the Stroke Association of Victoria.

SRV focuses on what I often call the third stage of stroke recovery.

The first stage is surviving the stroke itself. The second is hospital-based rehabilitation. But eventually the survivor is discharged, the appointments become less frequent, and life is expected to return to "normal."

Except it doesn't.

That is when the real journey begins.

Recovery Doesn't End at the Hospital Door

When stroke survivors return home, they suddenly find themselves navigating a very different world.

Continuing rehabilitation.
Understanding the NDIS and other support systems.
Adjusting to disability.
Supporting partners and carers who are also learning to live with a very different future.

It can be an incredibly isolating time.

That's why SRV establishes Regional Stroke Recovery Centres (RSRCs) across Victoria. They provide a place where survivors and carers can meet others who genuinely understand what they're going through. They become places of friendship, encouragement, information and hope.

Sometimes, simply knowing you're not alone is the best therapy of all.

The Challenge

Like many community organisations, SRV relies heavily on volunteers.

But volunteers alone can't pay the bills.

Every Regional Stroke Recovery Centre costs around $5,000 each year to operate. Venue hire, resources, administration and insurance all add up. Unfortunately, government funding for organisations like ours is limited, making fundraising essential if we want to continue growing.

Communities Helping Communities

With that in mind, I approached a number of Freemasons' Lodges, together with the Freemasons Foundation Victoria (FFV), to see whether they would support SRV's work.

The response was extraordinary.

Six Lodges chose to contribute from their own charitable funds. They then worked alongside us to advocate for additional support from the Freemasons Foundation Victoria.

Together, they raised $49,625.

More Than a Donation

It's easy to look at a number like $49,625 and think of it simply as money.

I don't.

I see almost ten years of support for one centre.

Or ten Regional Stroke Recovery Centres operating for a year.

I see hundreds of stroke survivors and carers finding friendship instead of isolation.

I see conversations over a cup of coffee that remind someone they're not facing recovery alone.

That's what those dollars become.

What Freemasons Really Do

People often ask me what Freemasons actually do.

This is what they do.

They quietly support local communities.

They invest in charities that change lives.

They help organisations like Stroke Recovery Victoria create places where people can rebuild confidence, friendships and hope after life-changing events.

Sometimes the greatest impact isn't made through grand gestures.

Sometimes it's simply one community deciding to help another.

And from that, remarkable things grow.