The Bush Brotherhood was a group of

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

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 Nathaniel Dawes (24 July 1843 – 12 September 1910) was an Anglican bishop in Australia. He was the first Bishop of Rockhampton in Queensland, from 1892 to 1909. He was the first bishop to be consecrated in Australia. Early life Dawes was b ...

. The first group of brothers was led by the Reverend George Halford. The Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd was established about 1903 in

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

, New South Wales. The Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd published ''

The Bush Brother ''The Bush Brother'' was a quarterly English-language journal produced by the religious order of the Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd based in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia. The focus of the publication was mainly religion and missionary w ...

'' magazine from 1904 to 1980. The Bush Brotherhood of St Boniface operated in the Diocese of Bunbury in Western Australia from July 1911 to 1929. In 1922,

Bryan Robin Bryan Percival Robin (12 January 188717 June 1969) was bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide, South Australia from 1941 to 1956. Early life Robin was educated at Rossall School and the University of Liverpool. Religious life Robin was ...

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 Cunnamulla () is a town and a locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the , Cunnamulla had a population of 1,140 people. Geography Cunnamulla ...

in Queensland.

Operation of the orders

There were a number of different

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

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 The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...

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 I. His friends wrote a book about his experiences as a bush brother. * John Hazlewood, Bishop of Ballarat * Barry Hunter, Bishop of Riverina *

Hamish Jamieson Hamish Thomas Umphelby Jamieson is an Australian retired Anglican bishop. Early life Hamish Jamieson was born on 15 February 1932 and educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School, St Michael's House (Society of the Sacred Mission), Cr ...

, Bishop of Carpentaria and Bunbury *

Lionel Renfrey Lionel Edward William Renfrey (1916–2008) was an Australian Anglican bishop. He was the Dean of Adelaide from 1966 until 1997. Renfrey was educated at the University of Adelaide and ordained in 1940. After a curacy in Prospect, South Austral ...

, Dean of Adelaide *

, Bishop of Adelaide *

Guy Roxby Guy Jocelyn Maude Roxby (b Portsmouth 16 August 1886 – d Aramac 8 August 1913) was an Anglican missionary priest in the second decade of the twentieth century. Roxby was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge and Westcott House, Cambridge. He wa ...

, died from typhoid in 1913, the first Brother to die in service * Richard Thomas, Bishop of Willochra *

Graham Howard Walden Graham Howard Walden (1931 27 November 2017) was an Australian Anglican bishop. Walden was born in 1931 and educated at the University of Queensland. He was ordained deacon in 1954 and priest in 1955. After curacies in London he returned to ...

Bishop of The Murray The Bishop of The Murray is the diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of The Murray, Australia. List of Bishops of The Murray References External links * – official site {{DEFAULTSORT:The Murray, Anglican Bishop of Lists of A ...

Arnold Wylde Arnold Lomas Wylde (31 March 1880 – 6 June 1958) was an English-born Anglican bishop in Australia where he was the Anglican Bishop of Bathurst. Early life and education Wylde was educated in England at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefie ...

, Bishop of Bathurst

In popular culture

The narrator of Nevil Shute's novel ''

In the Wet IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

'' is a member of the Bush Brotherhood and provides a (fictional) account of the life of one of these itinerant priests.

History

Operation of the orders

Notable members

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading