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 the Good Shepherd was established about 1903 in Dubbo, New South Wales.[6] The Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd published The Bush Brother magazine from 1904 to 1980.[7]

The Bush Brotherhood of St Boniface operated in the Diocese of Bunbury in Western Australia from July 1911 to 1929.[8][9]

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.[10]

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:[6]

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.[11][12][13][14][15] His friends wrote a book about his experiences as a bush brother.[16]
John Hazlewood, Bishop of Ballarat
Barry Hunter, Bishop of Riverina
Hamish Jamieson, Bishop of Carpentaria and Bunbury
Lionel Renfrey, Dean of Adelaide
Bryan Robin, Bishop of Adelaide
Guy Roxby, died from typhoid in 1913, the first Brother to die in service [13][17][18]
Richard Thomas, Bishop of Willochra
Graham Howard Walden, Bishop of The Murray[19]
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.

References

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