Region 3 - a Precis of our History

The first Rose Croix Chapter in Australia was provisionally warranted on 2nd April 1858 as Metropolitan Chapter n11, under the Supreme Council for England, to meet in Melbourne, Victoria. Click here for a potted history of that Chapter.

No agreement could be reached between the Supreme Councils of England and Scotland, in 1874, about de jure exclusive jurisdiction to the Supreme Council with a first warrant in a colony or dependency of the Crown. Thus, the Supreme Council for Scotland warranted its first Chapter, Queensland Chapter n9, in January 1879.

Subsequent English warrants for Australia were slow to be presented and approved:

• Percy Chapter n113 (warranted 14th May 1889) at Adelaide, South Australia

• Queensland Chapter n145 (26th November 1900) at Brisbane, Queensland

• Earl of Euston Chapter n147 (23rd September 1901) at Adelaide, South Australia

• Boucaut Chapter n152 (4th July 1904) at Perth, Western Australia

• Broken Hill Chapter n154 (5th December 1904) at Broken Hill, New South Wales

• Golden West Chapter n163 (29th March 1909) at Perth, Western Australia

• North Queensland Chapter n172 (9th October 1911) at Townsville, Queensland

• Sydney Chapter n174 (29th April 1912) at Sydney, New South Wales

• Holy Sepulchre Chapter n228 (3rd November 1921) at Hobart, Tasmania

• Alexander Corrie Chapter n267 (5th January 1928) at Mackay, Queensland

• Kerang Chapter n277 (31st October 1929) at Kerang, Victoria.

Prior to the erection of the Supreme Council for Australia, the Chapters that were later to transfer allegiance to that indigenous Supreme Council were mostly warranted under the Supreme Council for England and those in the south-eastern portion of Australia were, at first, largely independent. However, with growth, organisation is required, and under the Supreme Council of England, a Division was erected in 1929, as 'Australia - Southern Division', with the following Grand Inspectors General serving the Division:

1929-1935 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. Rev. Dr Albert Thomas Holden, CBE, DD, 33° (died 1935)

1935-1937 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. George Edison Emery, CMG, 33° (died 1937)

1937-1939 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. His Excellency Sir Ernest Clark, GCMG, KCB, CBE, 33° (resigned 1939)

1939-1946 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. Louis Henry Mayerres Avery, 33° (died 1947)

During this period, further growth was undertaken, with the following warrants being issued by the Supreme Council for England for the Southern Division:

• Royal Moira Chapter n288 (warranted 18th June 1931) at Shepparton, Victoria

• Service Chapter n327 (31st March 1938) at Sydney, New South Wales

• Sydney St James Chapter n333 (5th January 1939) at Sydney, New South Wales

• Canberra Chapter n334 (4th May 1939) at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

• Avery Chapter n342 (13th January 1944) at Sydney, New South Wales.

In 1944 the Division was divided into three Districts: Southern (in 1952 designated 'Victoria and Tasmania'), Central (South Australia and Broken Hill), and New South Wales and Canberra ACT. Subsequent to the retirement of V∴Ill∴ Bro. Avery, 33°, the only other Inspector General for the Southern District of Victoria and Tasmania was

1946-1953 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. Robert Peter Dick, 33°

During this period a number of new Chapters were warranted within the District:

• St Kilda Chapter n353 (9th November 1944) at St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria

• Invicta Centennial Chapter n357 (8th February 1945) at Gardenvale, Melbourne, Victoria

• Ernest Clark Chapter n359 (8th March 1945) at Launceston, Tasmania

• Hobart Chapter n368 (24th October 1945) at Hobart, Tasmania

• Robert Dick Chapter n398 (13th November 1947) at Box Hill, Melbourne, Victoria

• Griffith St Alban Chapter n415 (14th July 1949) at Griffith, New South Wales

• Holden Chapter n425 (23rd February 1950) at Abbotsford, Melbourne, Victoria

• Albury Chapter n434 (8th February 1951) at Albury, New South Wales

• Nepean Chapter n437 (13th September 1951) at Moorabbin, Melbourne, Victoria

• Ringwood Chapter n438 (13th September 1951) at Ringwood, Melbourne, Victoria

• Burrangong Chapter n456 (13th November 1952) at Young, New South Wales

• Coronation Chapter n465 (14th May 1953) at Devonport, Tasmania

In 1953 the Southern District of 'Victoria and Tasmania' was again divided into the separate districts of 'Victoria', and 'Tasmania' (click here for Tasmanian District Commanders since 1980). The District of Victoria was then administered by the following Inspectors General:

1953-1954 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. Robert Peter Dick, 33° (died 1955)

1954-1961 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. Victor Sydney Hollow, 33° (died 1964)

1962-1966 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. Thomas Leslie Stafford, 33° (later M∴Ill∴ Bro., member of Supreme Council for England)

1966-1972 : V∴Ill∴ Bro. Keith Albert McLaughlin, 33° (later M∴Ill∴ Bro., Commander of the Branch Council for Australia under Supreme Council for England)

During this period a number of Chapters were warranted within the Districts by both England and Scotland:

• Castlereagh Chapter n474 (11th February 1954) at Coonabarabran, New South Wales

• Riverina Chapter n96 (1st December 1954 by Supreme Council for Scotland) at Leeton, New South Wales (later transferred to NSW-based 1964 body before coming under Supreme Council for Australia on 10 November 1990, and then placed in Region 3). As an aside, the '64 body District of NSW Southern was initially under administration of V∴ Ill∴ Bro. Alexander Hope Buckham, 33°, a member of this Chapter. He was followed by V∴ Ill∴ Bro. Andrew R Evans, 33°, of Canberra ACT.

• Avalon Chapter n517 (27th June 1957) at Geelong, Victoria

• Weethalle St Christopher Chapter n520 (12th September 1957) at Weethalle, New South Wales

• Wagga Wagga Chapter n539 (12th November 1959) at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

• Temora St Paul's Chapter n579 (13th September 1962) at Temora, New South Wales

• Rosklyn Chapter n131 (15th September 1962 by Supreme Council for Scotland) at Batlow, New South Wales (later transferred to NSW-based '64 body before coming under Supreme Council for Australia on 10 November 1990, and then placed in Region 3). This Chapter later amalgamated with another former Scottish Chapter (St John n76, dedicated 2 December 1948 at Granville NSW) on 13 December 1997

• Castlemaine Chapter n581 (11th October 1962) at Castlemaine, Victoria (later changed to 'Central Goldfields Chapter' when moved to Maryborough, Victoria)

• Gippsland Chapter n589 (9th May 1963) at Traralgon, Victoria

• Brunswick Chapter n591 (12th December 1963) at Brunswick, Melbourne, Victoria

• Wimmera Chapter n633 (23rd June 1966) at Horsham, Victoria

• Sunshine Chapter n644 (9th March 1967) at Sunshine, Melbourne, Victoria

• Arboreal Chapter n651 (26th October 1967) at Olinda, Melbourne, Victoria

• Coburg Ascension Chapter n686 (14th May 1970) at Coburg, Melbourne, Victoria

• Mornington Peninsula Chapter n691 (24th September 1970) at Mornington, Melbourne, Victoria

The District of Victoria was again divided on 1st January 1972, becoming two districts:

• 'Victoria - Central' - with V∴ Ill∴ Bro. Keith Albert McLaughlin, 33°, as Inspector General. In 1973, V∴ Ill∴ Bro. Robert Money, OBE, 33°, became Inspector General for Victoria Central and held that position until 1978, although he again took a leadership role with the Branch Council for Australia under the Supreme Council for England (then becoming M∴ Ill∴ Bro.) and then again when the Supreme Council for Australia was erected in 1985, which he served until 1990. V∴ Ill∴ Bro. Rev. John Everleigh Richards, 33°, became Inspector General for Victoria Central in 1978 and continued in that role until 1989. Click here for further information on this former district.

• 'Victoria - Country' - with V∴ Ill∴ Bro. Fred Russell Williams, 33°, as Inspector General, he only retiring in 1982 (died 1988) when the District was again divided.

During the period from 1972 until 1985, with the formation of the Supreme Council for Australia, further Chapters were warranted within the Southern Districts by England:

• Rose of Launceston Chapter n747 (12th April 1973) at Launceston, Tasmania

• Crown of Life Chapter n772 (26th September 1974) at Hobart, Tasmania

• Balranald St Barnabas Chapter n790 (29th May 1975) at Balranald, New South Wales (whilst not in Victoria, was to become part of Region 3, under Supreme Council for Australia)

• Colac Chapter n794 (23rd October 1975) at Colac, Victoria

• Lentara Chapter n902 (24th September 1981) at Fairfield, Melbourne, Victoria

The Districts of Victoria were further divided and re-organised, in 1982, with the Districts of 'Victoria - Eastern' and 'Victoria - Western' essentially replacing the District of Victoria - Country. V∴ Ill∴ Bro. Douglas Dunbar, MBE, 33°, became Inspector General for Victoria Eastern (retiring in 1985); and V∴ Ill∴ Bro. Dr Michael Selwyn Benson, 33°, became Inspector General for Victoria Western, retiring from that office in 1991, but returning to serve the Region and Supreme Council for Australia from 1992 to 1996 (then becoming M∴ Ill∴ Bro.).

With the creation of the Supreme Council for Australia in 1985, to the Victorian and Tasmanian Districts was added the District of NSW Riverina (whose Chapters are noted above) and they became Region 3 - Victoria and the NSW Riverina. After consecration of the indigenous Supreme Council, a number of new warrants were issued within the Region:

• Riverina Chapter n230 (10th November 1990) at Leeton, New South Wales (transferring from the NSW-based '64 body)

• Rosklyn Chapter n235 (10th November 1990) at Batlow, New South Wales (transferring from the NSW-based '64 body)

• Indi Chapter n245 (10th November 1990) at Corryong, New South Wales (transferring from the NSW-based '64 body)

• Southern Cross Chapter of Improvement (23rd November 1991) at Canterbury, Melbourne, Victoria

• Alfred Deakin Chapter n252 (15th August 1992) at Mildura, Victoria

• Victoria South Eastern Chapter n253 (5th February 1994) at Keysborough, Melbourne, Victoria

In 2002, the District of Victoria - Sunraysia was formed, drawing from existing Chapters and Councils in the other Districts. Few warrants have been issued after this period as Masonic membership has been declining across Australia, and across much of the world:

• Arcadia Chapter n257 (14th April 2005) at Mansfield, Victoria

• Tambo Chapter n259 (3rd February 2007) at Bairnsdale, Victoria

• Alpha Victoria Chapter n261 (16th November 2008) at Moorabbin, Melbourne, Victoria - the first 'universal' chapter within the Region.

Whilst the Supreme Council for Scotland had been issuing warrants for 30° Councils (originally termed 'Consistories') since 1865, the first in Australia being Queensland Council n6, in 1887, the Supreme Council for England did not regularly work that Degree in Australia - one recorded meeting was held at Freemason's Hall, 25 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, on 16th November 1946, with V∴ Ill∴ Bros Hamilton B Matthews 33° (Grand Inspector General for NSW & ACT), Eustace A Jones 33° (GIG for QLD) and Robert P Dick (GIG for Southern District of Australia - Victoria & Tasmania) as officiating officers. Tellingly, there were no warranted 30° Councils in the Australian Southern Districts until the erection of the Supreme Council for Australia, when the following Councils were approved and warranted for Region 3:

• Riverina Council n17 (2nd May 1987) at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

• Australia Felix Council n30 (28th November 1987) at Yarraville, Melbourne, Victoria

• Holy Grail Council n28 (12th December 1987) at Hobart, Tasmania

• St Andrew Council n29 (4th March 1988) at Moorabbin, Melbourne, Victoria

• Northern Tasmania Council n35 (7th May 1989) at Launceston, Tasmania

• Major Mitchell Council n45 (6th November 1989) at Kerang, Victoria

• Melbourne Council n62 (23rd November 1996) at Preston, Melbourne, Victoria

• Charles Sturt Council n63 (10th January 1998) at Irymple, Victoria (warrant surrendered 2022)

• Gippsland Council n68 (15th March 2010) at Traralgon, Victoria

On 1st July 2015, a consolidation of Districts took place, with the District of Victoria - Central being collapsed into the other Victorian Districts.

On 3rd July, 2015, the Southern Cross Grand Consistory, n3, was consecrated for the Region and assumed responsibility for the administration of the Higher Degrees (31° & 32°) across the Region.

On 1st July 2022, a consolidation of Districts took place, with the District of Victoria - Sunraysia being collapsed into Victorian - Western. Click here for further information on that former district.