$2 million Donation Milestone for Central Coast Masons

Since our first donation at the beginning of 2009 up to the beginning of 2026, Freemasons on the Central Coast (FotCC) have donated over $2 million to the local community..

Freemasons on the Central Coast, formerly Karagi Court Limited, was established in 2008 from the dividends received from investments following the sale of Karagi Court Retirement Village at Bateau Bay.

A short history of Karagi Court

Karagi comes from the local Aboriginal language meaning ‘the entrance’ or ‘the way in’ and was the name of The Entrance up until 1935. The name ‘Karagi’ was chosen by the organisation to represent the entrance or beginning of a new chapter in life.

In the 1960s, a number of Freemasons met at the Gosford Masonic Centre to plan a solution to the increasing number of Masons living alone and who were losing their ability to live independently. At that time, the only solution was to move into retirement villages in the Sydney area, but many were reluctant to do so because of family ties and friends on the Central Coast.

This group of Freemasons decided that what was needed was a Central Coast Retirement Village in Bateau Bay and, following advice from their solicitor, Karagi Court Ltd was formed.

With help from Wyong Shire Council and a substantial loan, this dedicated band formulated a plan to build 10 units – the first stage of the retirement village.

On 20 August 1978, the MW Grand Master Noel W. Warren unveiled a plaque to commemorate the completion of Stage 1 and, over the following years, Karagi Court Ltd purchased the land outright, repaid the loan and built a further 52 retirement units.

Thirty years later

In 2007, building regulations concerning retirement units changed and to comply with these regulatory changes, Karagi Court Ltd had a tough choice – raise a considerable amount of money to upgrade the whole site, or sell.

A committee was formed to investigate and to decide the future of Karagi Court. In 2008, it was decided that the upgrade path was not viable and that the best solution was to sell the retirement village and, with the proceeds, develop a charity to support the community and community organisations on the Central Coast.

By the end of 2008, the village had been sold and the Board of Directors had developed a new constitution. At the beginning of 2009, Karagi Court made its first donations to the Central Coast community.

In June 2009, the Board began asking the lodges of the District to make donation recommendations which, if approved, would be made under their name. The only stipulation was that a plaque had to be purchased and erected acknowledging the donation from that particular lodge. Donations made solely by Karagi Court were made in the name of all Freemasons on the Central Coast.

Freemasons on the Central Coast

In 2022 it was noted that there was growing confusion within the community over the ‘Karagi Court’ name, and how it related to Freemasonry. Even masons within District 21 (The Central Coast), didn’t fully understand the relationship. At this point, the Board decided to start using the trading name ‘Freemasons on the Central Coast,’ thus removing the historic ‘Karagi Court’ name from all communications within the community, and declaring that all support is from Freemasons – on the Central Coast.

However, individual lodge charity initiatives, even with our assistance, are still attributed to the specific lodge involved, as before. Our role is to assist Freemasons supporting our community; and to promote the good deeds of all Freemasons.

To the point

Our funds come primarily from profits received from our investments, plus any monies raised through the many charity events organised with the help of our members and other Freemasons in the District.

To ensure that our support goes straight to the needy our constitution states that we donate goods and services, rather than money. For example, rather than donating money to a local Neighbourhood Centre to buy a fridge, we just buy the fridge.

This way, the community gets its fridge and we know that 100% of our donation is applied as intended.

This also allows us to install a plaque on, or close to, the donated equipment, announcing the support of the Freemasons.

Probably our most well-known ongoing donation is the hi visibility pink rash vests we purchase for Surf Life Saving Central Coast – helping to keep everyone safe on our beaches. FotCC were the first to sponsor this initiative when SLS proposed it in 2012 and we proudly continue our support to this day.

We are very proud to announce that as of  31 December 2025 we have now donated over $2 million to the Central Coast Community.

Many organisations have benefited from our involvement over the years including: Neighbourhood Centres, Central Coast Orchestras and Bands, the Cancer Council, Ambulance Service, Central Coast Kids in Need, Central Coast Marine Rescue, Central Coast Outreach Services, Coast Shelter, District Hospitals & Women’s Community Health, Guide Dogs, Men’s Sheds, Rural Fire Service, Shirley Shuttle, State Emergency Services, Surf Life Saving Central Coast, Australian Army Cadets, Police & Community Youth Clubs (PCYC), Primary Schools, Scouts Australia, Girl Guides and Legacy.