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]
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.
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]
Their duties included: [7]
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.
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.
Barcaldine is a rural town and locality in the Barcaldine Region in Queensland, Australia. This is the administrative centre of the Barcaldine Region. Barcaldine played a major role in the Australian labour movement.
Aramac is a rural town and locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Aramac had a population of 372 people.
Mount Morgan is a rural town and locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census the town of Mount Morgan had a population of 2,487 people.
Westwood is a town in the Rockhampton Region and a locality split between the Rockhampton Region and the Shire of Banana in Queensland, Australia. It was the first town that was gazetted by the Queensland Government. In the 2021 census, the locality of Westwood had a population of 199 people.
Muttaburra is an outback town and locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. Muttaburra was the discovery site of the Muttaburrasaurus, one of Australia's most famous dinosaurs.
Alpha is a rural town and a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Alpha had a population of 559 people.
Sir James Duhig KCMG was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-serving bishop in the Catholic Church (1905–1965).
The City of Gladstone is a former local government area in central Queensland, Australia. It covered the urban locality of Gladstone and parts of the surrounding area.
The Diocese of Rockhampton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane. Erected in 1882, it covers Central Queensland.
James Page was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1901 until his death, representing the electorate of Maranoa.
Nathaniel Dawes 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.
George Dowglas Halford was the second Anglican Bishop of Rockhampton from 1909 until 1920.
Byrnestown is a rural locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. The town was established as one of the first communes in Queensland. In the 2021 census, Byrnestown had a population of 27 people.
John Cani, also known as Giovanni Cani was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Rockhampton.
Gladstone Central is a coastal suburb of Gladstone in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the historic centre and central business district of the city of Gladstone and the seat of the Gladstone Regional Council. In the 2021 census, Gladstone Central had a population of 1,550 people.
St Peter's Anglican Church and Hall is a heritage-listed church at 85 Elm Street, Barcaldine, Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Edwin Hockings and built in 1899. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Edwin Morton (Ted) Hockings (1870–1942) was an architect in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. A number of his buildings are now heritage listed.
St Mark's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed former church at 36 Larnach Street, Allenstown, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect Louis Spier Robertson and was built in 1900. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July 2000.
Lawgi Dawes is a rural locality in the Shire of Banana, Queensland, Australia. It contains the neighbourhood of Lawgi, a former town.
Pierre-Marie Bucas (1840-1930) was a pioneer Roman Catholic priest in Waikato, New Zealand, and Queensland, Australia.