TAMWORTH

55
That day I cried every kind of tear.
At every visit l took with me a copy of the painting of our own
Lodge Rooms, and now I’m proud to say that Alderson House,
High Street, Warwick, England is hanging in every other
“Warwick” Lodge room in the world.
You may have noted that no names have been mentioned, this isn’t
due to any kind of secrecy, but if l mentioned particular names
some persons may feel left out, the fact is my wife and I have to
thank everyone for making our visits so special.
We never asked for any special treatment or insisted on any special hospitality- all l ever did was to write to the
Lodge Secretary simply informing him that I was the current Master of Warwick Lodge No.8011, and could I
visit one of their Masonic Meetings.
The friendship and kindness was overwhelming, and l still keep in contact with them all.
The history of Freemasonry in their land and communities was completely fascinating.
When l returned to Australia last year I was installed as Worshipful Master of J.W. Jackson no. 32 Lodge
of Mark Master Masons ; An honour and privilege that will always be cherished.
The folks we met, their families and friends were just like It was the greatest of pleasures to be associated with
such fine, hard working, God fearing, honest and decent people
The story of the Historic meeting on 10 th August 1999, when Masters of all four Warwick Lodges met has been
recorded in “The Queensland Mason”.
Worshipful Brother John Walker-Smith
This globe travelling Gavel has certainly bought a lot of happiness to a lot of Brethren through-out the world,
having journeyed around NSW, Queensland, England and now in Americe where it was presented into around
ten (10) Masonic Lodges over all.
Information about Warwick,Warwickshire, England:
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, 11 miles (18 km)
south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001
United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350.
There has been human activity at Warwick as early as the Neolithic, and constant habitation since the
6 th century. A Saxon burh was created at Warwick in the 9 th century and Warwick Castle was established on the
site in 1068 as part of the Norman conquest of England. Warwick School claims to be the oldest boys’ school in
the country. The earldom of Warwick was created in 1088 and the earls controlled the town in the medieval
period. During this time Warwick was given town walls; Eastgate and Westgate survive. The castle developed
into a stone fortress and then a country house and is today a popular tourist attraction.
The Great Fire of Warwick in 1694 destroyed much of the medieval town and as a result most of the buildings
post-date this period. Though Warwick did not become industrialised in the 19 th century, it has experienced
growth since 1801 when the population was 5,592. Racing Club Warwick F.C., founded in 1919, are based in
the town. The town is administered by Warwick District Counil and Warwickshire County Council has its
headquarters in Warwick.
The five districts of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Rugby, Warwick and Stratford-on-
Avon together form the Warwickshire County Council area, and are within the 1974 boundaries. The shape of
the administrative area of Warwickshire differs considerably from that of the historic county, which also
includes the now autonomous unitary authorities of Coventry and Solihull, as well as a small area around central
and northeast Birmingham.
For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG13) and is one of three counties that comprise the
“Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire” NUTS 2 region.