125 YEARS OF MAKING GOOD MEN BETTER
Worshipful Brother Rick Howes of New South Wales, Australia is one busy fellow --- or 'bloke', as they say down under. A retired carpet layer, Brother Rick decided he wanted to bestow a lasting memento on another lodge to which he traveled witnessing a friend's third degree. He struck upon the traveling gavel idea -- beginning a monumental worldwide undertaking.
Finding that other brothers warmed to the idea, Rick began creating more and more of the artifacts, putting them into circulation throughout Australia, Europe, Asia, and now -- with the gavel which travelled through Moosup Lodge -- America. In all, there are now 11 Wyong Lodge gavels spanning the globe.
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| The Wyong Lodge Traveling Gavel enjoys a place of honor in Moosup Lodge |
A delight to speak with, WB Rick has that familiar Aussie brogue, and is a one-man tourism bureau for his native land -- bragging not only of its beauty and charm, but of its residents' famous grit. [This information for you though Rick: 5 below Celsius is a balmy 23 above Farenheit. Here in New England we call that 'summer'.] Going to great pains to fabricate these gavels, Rick cuts matchstick-sized pieces of wood to create the desired effect, with some of the gavels numbering over ten thousand individual pieces. Rick also revealed that he is currently working on a forty thousand piece gavel! As they would say in Australia, "Blimey! The boy's a loon!"
Brother Rick tracks each individual gavel in its travels, calling to assure that the custodian lodge keeps the gavel moving on in a timely fashion. Rick also requests a letter from each lodge detailing a brief history of the area and the lodge itself. Rick sends copies of these letters to each lodge on the gavels' trails, uniting lodges worldwide. Whenever these gavels have come to their collective end, Rick plans to turn the documents over for posterity.
Thanks to Ionic Lodge No. 28, of Rhode Island for providing us with the opportunity to host this marvelous symbol of worldwide brotherhood and friendship. [Ionic received the gavel from Warwick Lodge of Providence, which had received it from Warwick Lodge of New York, which in turn had received it from Warwick Lodge of Warwick, England!] And another thanks and large tip of the hat to Wyong Lodge and WB Rick Howes, through whose dedication and effort, Moosup Lodge was able to share for a time one of Wyong Lodge's fabulous traveling gavels.