TAMWORTH

118
According to the U.S. interpretation of the Taif Accord, Syria and Lebanon were to have decided on the
redeployment of Syrian forces from Beirut and other coastal areas of Lebanon by September 1992. Israeli
occupation of Lebanon until May 2000, the breakdown of peace negotiations between Syria and Israel that same
year, and intensifying Arab/Israeli tensions since the start of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000
have helped delay full implementation of the Taif Accords. The UN declared that Israel’s withdrawal from
southern Lebanon fulfilled the requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 425. However, Syria and
Lebanon claimed that UNSCR 425 had not been fully implemented because Israel did not withdraw from an
area of the Golan Heights called Shebaa Farms, which had been occupied by Israel in 1967, and which Syria
now claimed was part of Lebanon. The United Nations does not recognize this claim. However, Lebanese
resistance groups such as Hezbollah use it to justify attacks against Israeli forces in that region, creating a
potentially dangerous flashpoint along the Lebanon-Israeli border.
In 2005, Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon after the assassination of Lebanese Sunni Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri on February 14, 2005. In December 2008, The Syrian Embassy was opened in Beirut for the first time in
history since both countries gained their Independence during the 1940s. In March 2009, Lebanon followed and
opened its Embassy in Damascus. On 19 December 2009, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri visited
Syria, and stayed in Damascus for 3 days meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad & breaking the ice between
the two sides.
The article above about Syria-Lebanon, was copied from.
Wikipedia
------:------
TRAVELING GAVEL
ln 1993, W. Bro. Richard (Rick) Howes of Wyong Lodge No. 247, in New South Wales, Australia, designed
and crafted a Gavel and named it “Travelling Gavel”, made from Silver Ash and Australian Red Cedar and
came with a Marabou Block Base
This gavel was crafted with the intention that it should travel around the world for the sake of the Universality
of Masonry, with condition that, each lodge that receives the gavel, must fill in the booklet that is located in the
back of the support, and engrave on one of the plates already fixed on the support the name of their lodge and
the date they received the gavel and Lodge No. And can keep the “Travelling Gavel” in their possession no
more than three months.
Before it arrived in Canada on the 12 th April 2005, here is where it’s been;
The Tamworth Travelling Gavel originally presented in 1993
After Tamworth Lodge, New South Wales, Australia, this Gavel travelled through-out the top of NSW into 13
Lodges, went into Queensland, (Australia) where it was presented into, 11 lodges, the last lodge was Warwick
Lodge No. 160. On the 10 th July 1999 meeting they had a visitor from a Warwick Lodge of Warwickshire in
England. They presented him with this Travelling Gavel, where, he took it back to England, he then presented it
into his Warwick Lodge No. 8011. (2 nd August 1999) he then took it to New York & presented it into the 3 rd
Warwick Lodge No.16, (10 th August 1999) then it was presented into the 4 th Warwick Lodge No.28 in Rhode
Island. (12 th August 1999) There are 4 Warwick Lodges in the world & at the last Warwick Lodge meeting
presentation , all 4 W/masters were present, even the one from Queensland, Australia
The Gavel then was presented into the following number of Lodges;
Connecticut 1 Lodge, * Massachusetts, 3 Lodges, * New Hampshire, 2 Lodges, * Vermont, 3 Lodges,* Quebec,
(Canada), 2 Lodges, * then back to Vermont, where it was presented into, 1 Lodge, * then to Quebec again
where it was presented into 1 Lodge, * Ontario, (Canada) 1 Lodge, * New York, 1 Lodge *
New York Grand Lodge, * Syria-Lebanon Grand Lodge, * Cyprus Grand Lodge, * Greece Grand Lodge, and 5
Craft Lodges, * Italy, 4 Lodges, * Belgium, 1Lodge, * France, I think 5 Lodges, * Switzerland, 1 Lodge * 11 th
March 2010 was the last time that I have heard of about it’.
On May 2 nd , 2005, the Worshipful Master of Massena Lodge # 513 presented the “Travelling Gavel” to our
Grand Master. M.W.Edward Trosin.
On May 3 rd 2005 during the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of New York, M.W. Edward Trosin
presented the “Travelling Gavel” to the District Grand Master of District Grand Lodge of Syria-Lebanon, Rt. W.