Bush Brotherhood

The Bush Brotherhood was a group of Anglican religious orders providing itinerant priests to minister to sparsely-settled rural districts in Australia. They were described as a "band of men" who could "preach like Apostles" and "ride like cowboys".^[1]

All Saints Chapel, known as the Bush Brotherhood of St Paul, Charleville, 1933

The Reverend Harold Victor Hodson, Bush Brother from England, stationed at Richmond, Queensland, 1913–1916

History

The St Andrew's Bush Brotherhood was established in 1897 in Longreach, Queensland, by the Bishop of Stepney, Canon Body and the Bishop of Rockhampton, Nathaniel Dawes.^[2][3][4] The first group of brothers was led by the Reverend George Halford.^[5]

The Brotherhood of St Barnabas was established in 1902 in Herberton, Queensland by Aneirun Vaughan Williams and Joseph Braybarton. It was also known as the North Queensland Brotherhood.^[6]

The Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd was established about 1903 in Dubbo, New South Wales.^[7] The Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd published The Bush Brother magazine from 1904 to 1980.^[8]

The Bush Brotherhood of St Boniface operated in the Diocese of Bunbury in Western Australia from July 1911 to 1929.^[9][10]

In 1922, Bryan Robin published a book "The Sundowner" about his experiences in the Bush Brotherhood of St Barnabas in North Queensland from 1914 to 1921. This book attracted other priests to join the brotherhood.^[11]

The Brotherhood of St John the Baptist was established in Murray Bridge, South Australia.^[5]

The Bush Brotherhood of St Paul operated in Charleville and Cunnamulla in Queensland.

Operation of the orders

There were a number of different orders of Bush Brothers, but all operated on a similar basis of an almost monastic life, committed to:^[1]

• temporary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
• periodic returns from the bush to a community house for spiritual replenishment
• obedience to a warden or principal (often a bishop)

Their duties included:^[7]

• giving religious instruction in schools
• holding services
• administering sacraments

The Bush Brothers were either single (or left their wives behind during their period of service). Many were recruited from England where life in the Outback had a romantic appeal. Australian brothers were less frequently recruited.^[1]

Although the Bush Brothers originally rode horses, they drove vehicles in later years.

Notable members

• William Barrett, Dean of Brisbane
• Wilfrid Belcher, Bishop of North Queensland
• Stephen Davies, Bishop of Carpentaria
• William Elsey, Bishop of Kalgoorlie
• John Feetham, Bishop of North Queensland
• Godfrey Fryar, Bishop of Rockhampton
• George Halford, Bishop of Rockhampton
• Frederick Hulton-Sams, known as the "fighting parson" for his boxing skills, he died in 1915 in World War I.^{[12][13][14][15][16]} His friends wrote a book about his experiences as a bush brother.^[17]
• John Hazlewood, Bishop of Ballarat
• Barry Hunter, Bishop of Riverina
• Hamish Jamieson, Bishop of Carpentaria and Bunbury
• Ken Mason, Bishop of the Northern Territory, Chairman of the Australian Board of Missions
• Lionel Renfrey, Dean of Adelaide, Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Adelaide
• Bryan Robin, Bishop of Adelaide
• Guy Roxby, died from typhoid in 1913, the first Brother to die in service ^[14][18][19]
• Richard Thomas, Bishop of Willochra
• Graham Howard Walden, Bishop of The Murray^[20]
• Arnold Wylde, Bishop of Bathurst

In popular culture

The narrator of Nevil Shute's novel In the Wet is a member of the Bush Brotherhood and provides a (fictional) account of the life of one of these itinerant priests.

See also

• The Bush Brother

References

1. . Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
2. "The Church". The Australasian. Melbourne. 6 April 1901. p. 5. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
3. "Work Without Pay". The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts. Barcaldine, Qld. 18 November 1901. p. 14. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Untitled". The Morning Bulletin. Rockhampton, Qld. 21 September 1897. p. 5. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Religious News And Views". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 11 January 1947. p. 12. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Brotherhood of St Barnabas (BSB)". Anglican Consecrated Life. from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
7. "Bush Mission Work". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 September 1903. p. 5. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd (Dubbo, N.S.W.) (1904), The Bush brother : a quarterly paper, Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd, from the original on 30 August 2022, retrieved 25 June 2018
9. "COUNTRY". The West Australian. Perth. 13 July 1911. p. 8. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "Brotherhood of St Boniface". Great Southern Herald. Katanning, WA. 11 September 1929. p. 6. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
11. Radford, Robin. Robin, Bryan Percival (1887–1969). Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
12. "Rev. and Lieut. Frederick Hulton Sams, B.A." The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts. Barcaldine, Qld. 14 August 1915. p. 6. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
13. "Frederick Hulton-Sams". The Western Champion. Barcaldine, Qld. 18 July 1925. p. 4. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
14. "St Peter's Anglican Church and Hall (entry 600022)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
15. "FIGHTING PARSON KILLED". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, NSW. 22 August 1915. p. 3. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
16. "MUSCULAR CHRISTIANITY". Daily Standard. Brisbane. 21 August 1915. p. 12 Edition: SECOND EDITION. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
17. "THE LATE REV. F. HULTON SAMS". The Capricornian. Rockhampton, Qld. 15 April 1916. p. 19. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
18. "The Late Rev. G. J. Roxby". The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts. Barcaldine, Qld. 19 April 1913. p. 11. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
19. "NEWS OF THE CHURCHES". The Maitland Weekly Mercury. NSW. 5 July 1913. p. 5. from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
20. "Years of faith for this bush brother". The Daily Liberal. from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.

Further reading

• Webb, Paul (1978), Brothers in the sun : a history of the Bush Brotherhood Movement in the outback of Australia, Rigby, ISBN 978-0-7270-0623-3
• Robin, B. P. (Bryan Percival) (1922), The Sundowner, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
• Frederick Hulton-Sams, the fighting parson: impressions of his five years' ministry in the Queensland bush, recorded by some who knew and loved him, Theo. F. Barker, 1915 — available online