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 Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisford ...

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, by the

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, Canon Body and the Bishop of Rockhampton, Nathaniel Dawes. The first group of brothers was led by

the Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

George Halford. The Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd was established about 1903 in Dubbo,

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. The Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd published '' The Bush Brother'' magazine from 1904 to 1980. The Bush Brotherhood of St Boniface operated in the Diocese of Bunbury in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

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 Murray Bridge (formerly Mobilong and Edwards Crossing) is a city in the Australian state of South Australia, located east-southeast of the state's capital city, Adelaide, and north of the town of Meningie. The city had an urban population of a ...

. The Bush Brotherhood of St Paul operated in

Charleville Charleville can refer to: Australia * Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia **Charleville railway station, Queensland France * Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France *Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France ** ...

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 Wilfrid Bernard Belcher MC, (25 July 1891 – 28 January 1963) was an Anglican bishop in the mid 20th century. Early life Belcher was educated at King's School, Bruton and Keble College, Oxford, the son of William Henry Belcher, a Newbury ...

, Bishop of North Queensland * Stephen Davies, Bishop of Carpentaria *

William Elsey William Edward Elsey was an Anglican bishop in the first half of the 20th century. Early life Elsey was born into a sporting family on 4 July 1880 in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, and educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth an ...

, Bishop of Kalgoorlie * John Feetham, Bishop of North Queensland *

Godfrey Fryar Godfrey Charles Fryar was the eleventh Bishop of Rockhampton in the Anglican Church of Australia. Early life Fryar was educated at All Souls' Charters Towers. Religious life Fryar and ordained in 1973. He was a Bush Brother until 1976 a ...

, 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, 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 * Richard Thomas, Bishop of Willochra * Graham Howard Walden, Bishop of The Murray * Arnold Wylde, Bishop of Bathurst

In popular culture

The narrator of

Nevil Shute Nevil Shute Norway (17 January 189912 January 1960) was an English novelist and aeronautical engineer who spent his later years in Australia. He used his full name in his engineering career and Nevil Shute as his pen name, in order to protect ...

'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.

History

Operation of the orders

Notable members

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading