Bush Brotherhood

File:All Saints Chapel, known as the Bush Brotherhood of St Paul, Charleville, 1933.jpg

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

File:Reverend Harold Hodson, Church of England bush brother, stationed at Richmond North Queensland, circa 1915.jpg

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

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".

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. The first group of brothers was led by the Reverend George Halford.

The Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd was established about 1903 in Dubbo, New South Wales.

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

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.

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

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:

• 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:

• 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.

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 1. His friends wrote a book about his experiences as a bush brother.
• 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 fro m typhoid in 1913, the first Brother to die in service
• Richard Thomas, Bishop of Willochra
• Graham Howard Walden, Bishop of The Murray

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.

Further reading

• — available online