TAMWORTH

9
For years Lodge St. Andrews has been struggling to stay afloat but all of a sudden they have two Fellow Craft
. (l) Entered Apprentice & two candidates which is good to see.
I believe the Gavel will be out of our District in March 1994 as the W. Master is going to Armidale for the
Raising of his 2 sons. (The two Fellow Craft in St. Andrews) he thinks the Lodge in Armidale is, Lodge Unity
Yours Fraternally,
W. Bro. Geoff Ward
WM. Lodge Tamworth No 652
Tamworth Lodge No. 652 is a Sister Lodge to my own Lodge, Lodge Wyong No. 247. Which is now called,
Lodge Wyong Tuggerah Lakes No. 247. Both of these Lodges have visited each other for over 70 Years twice a
year. Wyong Visits Tamworth every in June for their Installation also in ? Tamworth Visits Wyong every
February and for our Installation which is held in September. Both of these Lodges have changed their names
slightly. Tamworth Lodge No. 652 is now called Tamworth Calala Lodge No. 652. Wyong Lodge No. 247, is
now called, Lodge Wyong Tuggerah Lakes No. 247
Information about Tamworth:
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River,
Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern
New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city provides services for
an area population of 55,063. The city is located midway between Brisbane and Sydney, the two largest cities on
the Australian east coast.
Tamworth is nationally famous as the “Country Music Capital of Australia”, annually hosting the Tamworth
Country Music Festival in late January; the second biggest country music festival in the world. The city is
recognised as the “National Equine Capital of Australia” because of the high volume of equine events held in
the city and the construction of the world classAustralian Equine and Livestock Events Centre, the biggest of its
kind in the Southern Hemisphere. [5] The city additionally is known as the “First City of Lights”, being the first
place in the Australia to use electric street lights.
Economy:
Tamworth is primarily a service centre for the New England and North West regions, providing services to a
population of some 200,000 plus people from the Tamworth region and satellite areas. The retail industry is the
biggest employer, followed by manufacturing and health services. The industries with the most number of
businesses in order are property and business services, agriculture and construction, closely followed by finance
and insurance services. With a diverse economy agriculture, education, transport and aviation are major
industries.
Agriculture:
Agriculture is an important industry in the Tamworth economy. An estimated 307,000 hectares of land are used
for the agricultural industry, with an economic gross value of $75 million contributing to the Tamworth
economy. [23] Important agricultural activities include beef, sheep, grain, dairy, poultry and lucerne. Other
agricultural areas include alpaca, buffalo, berry, fish, goat, hydroponic, nut, olive, and specialised game fowl
farming, as well as wineries. [23] Offices for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Infrastructure,
Planning and Natural Resources are located in Tamworth.