the first general meeting of the Sydney Theosophical Society
at 69 Hunter Street.
The fledgling Section never really established itself.
Small in number and handicapped by the poor and costly
communications over great distances, its authorization was
canceled in 1892 when the number of lodges fell to four.
In 1893 Isabel COOPER-OAKLEY arrived in Australia
and during her stay of some six months she did a great deal
to advance theosophy. Her afternoon “soirées” attracted as
many as 300 persons. Possibly Cooper-Oakley’s most significant
contribution to the theosophical scene was the
Austral Theosophist which evolved into the current periodical
Theosophy in Australia.
The next notable event in Australian theosophy was the
arrival of Annie BESANT which took place on September
3, 1894, in Melbourne. While her itinerary did not extend
beyond Sydney and Melbourne in the east of the country, it
might be claimed that her lectures served to put theosophy
on a firm footing in Australia. Reporting from Dunedin,
New Zealand, to Adyar headquarters in October 1894,
Besant advised President Olcott that she had been successful
in reforming the Theosophical Society in Australasia.
In fact the Section was chartered on January 1, 1895, consisting
of five lodges in Australia and four in New Zealand.
The Australasian Section as such was to exist for only a
short time since New Zealand, by 1896, was able to report
the necessary seven lodges and thus was chartered as a separate
Section. The first General Secretary of the new Australian
Section was the English theosophist John C.
Staples.
The first major division among Australian members
took place in 1894 following the so-called Judge-Besant
controversy (see THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, HISTORY OF).
About two-thirds voted to support Besant’s position.
Those supporting Judge resigned from the Adyar Theosophical
Society and joined the newly formed Theosophical
Society in America. Judge died in early 1896 and was
succeeded by Katherine TINGLEY who toured eastern Australia,
arriving in January 1897. Her visit, although it heartened
the Judge supporters, did not result in a significant
increase in their membership.
In March 1895 the first Australian convention was held
at 42 Margaret Street, Sydney, at which time the first issue
of Theosophy in Australasia was launched. By 1896 ten
lodges were in existence and membership stood at 267.
Queensland was able to boast the largest State membership
of eighty in three Lodges.
Until 1897 little theosophical presence is to be noted in
Western Australia. The State’s remoteness from the populous
east was the reason; in 1897 however, a number of
theosophists emigrated from the east and a beginning was
made. James Patterson and his wife, Montague Miller, and
Wilhelm Siebenhaar are noted in the records. By 1913 the
west boasted two Lodges, one at Perth and the other at Fremantle,
with a total membership of nearly one hundred. In
1929 the Perth Lodge took possession of a building designed
for theosophical purposes.
At the turn of the century the theosophical movement
in Australia recorded a membership of about four hundred
and a total of fourteen lodges, but there was little further
growth for a number of years until W. G. John assumed the
role of General Secretary in 1902. John’s energetic leadership
resulted in a steady growth in numbers until in 1914
the figure stood at about 1,400. The increase in work at
Section headquarters resulted in John’s wife Isabelle being
appointed Assistant General Secretary in 1905. Isabelle
John (1882-1939) remained in office for twenty years and
is one of the few theosophists to have an entry in the Australian
Dictionary of Biography (under her later married
name of Bean). 1905 was the year of the first visit to Australia
of Charles Webster LEADBEATER. Besant returned
again in 1908 and her visit boosted membership substantially.
The Prime Minister of Australia, Alfred Deakin, attended
her public talk in Melbourne. Inspired by Besant’s
program of social reform, the Sydney Lodge set in place
seven heads of departments which were: (1) the promotion
of religious and moral education in the schools; (2) the union
of Christianism in Australia; (3) visitation of hospitals,
asylums and gaols; (4) stamping out of gambling and intemperance;
(5) prison reform and the abolition of capital
punishment; (6) cremation; (7) the establishment of a chair
of comparative religion at Sydney University.
The years of the Great War, 1914-1918, brought difficulties
and upheaval, but the presence of Leadbeater, who
had considerable charisma, tended to offset the effects and
at the end of the war the number of Lodges stood at 22. As
soon as the war was over Australian membership rose
markedly and in 1921 stood at 2,309.<p>
In 1916 a building at 69 Hunter Street, Sydney, jointly
owned by the Sydney Lodge and the Australian Section,
was dedicated by C. W. Leadbeater. It comprised eight stories
and included an auditorium with a seating capacity of
700.<p>
In spite of internal conflict generated by such innovations
as the Old Catholic Church (later the LIBERAL
CATHOLIC CHURCH), CO-FREEMASONRY and the
KRISHNAMURTI movement, theosophy in Australia continued
to grow both in membership and influence so that
by 1921 there were 2,168 members and 25 lodges.<p>
In 1922 a milestone was reached when a 55-room building
was bought for the purpose of establishing a theosophical
community focused around Charles Leadbeater. This
remains in theosophical ownership to this time and is
known as The MANOR; it is situated on a hill overlooking
Sydney harbor. In the same year the TS Building Company
was formed and by 1925 sufficient funds were available to
allow building operations to commence in Bligh Street.
The Bligh Street property remained the focus of theosophical
work for many years, but eventually had to be sold as it
became financially unviable. After an ill-starred venture
with a large building at Walker Street, North Sydney, both
the Section and Blavatsky Lodge are now (1999) housed at
484 Kent Street, Sydney, which is wholly owned by the
Australian Section and Blavatsky Lodge, Sydney.
<p>
In the mid-twenties the Theosophical Society in Australia
was convulsed by allegations of sexual deviation on
the part of Leadbeater. Sydney Lodge, then the biggest in
the world, pressed for an inquiry into the Leadbeater allegations;
not only was there no support by the Australian
Section, but drastic action took place in that the Lodge’s
charter was withdrawn in June 1923. On October 28 some
600 members of the Sydney Lodge formed the Independent
Theosophical Society with T.H. Martyn as president.
In January 1925 the ITS published The Path, a bi-monthly
magazine which was short-lived.<p>
Following the division in Sydney, the so-called “loyalist”
members, that is, those loyal to the Theosophical Society
at Adyar, reorganized and established a building
company to build a new headquarters center. A location
was secured at 29 Bligh Street, Sydney, and a nine-story
building was erected to house the Section and the Lodge.<p>
In 1922 Annie Besant toured Australia and was everywhere
received with great cordiality. A highlight of the
tour was a visit to the Australian Prime Minister on June 3,
1922. In this year occurred the first visit to Australia of
KRISHNAMURTI, but the visit was marred by the controversy
that was taking place over Leadbeater and the deplorably
racist taunts he encountered in public. In spite of
these setbacks enthusiasm among theosophists for the
Krishnamurti ideal gathered pace and a large amphitheater
was constructed at Sydney Balmoral Beach as a venue, by
members of The Order of the Star.<p>
In 1926 George ARUNDALE arrived in Australia with
his wife Rukmini and immediately took office as General
Secretary. Arundale’s period in office was marked by an
upsurge of theosophical work including the licensing of
the first radio station wholly owned by the Theosophical
Society (see RADIO 2GB). Arundale was responsible, in
July 1926, for a new periodical, Advance Australia, subtitled
A Monthly Magazine of Australian Citizenship and
Ideals in Religion, Education, Literature, Science, Art,
Music, Social Life, Politics etc. Advance Australia ceased
publication in June 1929, possibly a victim of the economic
depression.<p>
During the second decade of the nineteenth century,
Australian theosophists became increasingly active politically
resulting from concern about social conditions.
Douglas Social Credit found favor with many as it promised
a remedy for the dismal cycle of boom and depression.
Numerous articles appeared in the journal Advance Australia
and Theosophy in Australia advocating the Douglas
system. Prominent theosophists joined the League of Nations
Union and many agitated about the treatment of Aborigines.
The Who’s for Australia League, a non-political
movement intended to improve the lot of the workers and
encourage Australian manufacturers, was given support by
theosophists with much publicity given by the radio station
2GB.
<p>
By 1930 the economic depression was having an effect
on the finances of the Theosophical Society in Australia.
Fund-raising efforts served to keep the Society financially
stable, but not all theosophists were happy regarding the
way in which the money was spent; Melbourne Lodge in
particular complained that Headquarters “had become a
mere money collecting and spending machine” (Theosophy
in Australia, May 15, 1930). Theosophical work was
not helped during the early thirties by a number of events.
The Order of the Star which was very active in Australia
was disbanded by Krishnamurti, both Annie Besant and
Charles Leadbeater died, unemployment had risen dramatically,
and since it cost nearly a week’s wage of a tradesman
to be a member of the Blavatsky Lodge in Sydney, an
increasing number of potential members simply could not
afford to join. Australia reflected a world trend; in 1929
world membership stood at 43,600 but in 1933 it had fallen
to less than 31,000. In 1936 the Theosophical Society lost
control of radio station 2GB. A. E. Bennett, who was managing
director and vice-chairman of the 2GB board gained
control of the Society’s interest by means which have not
come to light. Although the board’s accountant challenged
the operation and Arundale fought the issue in court, the
Theosophical Society emerged with merely £6250 and an
allocation of air-time.<p>
Although, for various reasons, during the early years,
Sydney was the main focus of theosophical work in Australia,
other centers made a substantial contribution. By
1933 there were 33 lodges and the Society had a strong
presence in all states. All the lodges in state capitals owned
valuable property.<p>
In March 1, 1934, Charles Leadbeater passed away in
Perth, Western Australia. He had been taken ill on board
ship en route to Sydney.<p>
In May 1936 the final installment owing on The Manor
at Mosman was paid following a large donation from P. W.
van den Broek of Singapore.
<p>
1937 saw the opening of the new theosophical building
in Melbourne and the same year the Society sold the Star
amphitheatre to, ironically, the Roman Catholic Church.<p>
In the thirties there were a number of theosophical factions
in Australia. Apart from the Adyar based Theosophical
Society there were the Independent Theosophical
Society (ITS), and the Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical
Society with its headquarters at Point Loma in
California. Later the UNITED LODGE OF THEOSOPHISTS
established a presence, but its policy of “minimum organization”
tended to limit its influence in Australia.
<p>
The Second World War lasting from 1939 to 1945
brought stagnation to theosophical work in Australia. In
Perth, in 1941, the lodge building was requisitioned by the
authorities. After the war the theosophical work entered a
period of reclamation of lost ground. In Australia the old
order was changing with the influx of migrants of many
nationalities. Material prosperity surged with the world
needing such products as wool, wheat, and minerals which
Australia has in abundance. By 1950 the number of lodges
stood at 10 and membership slowly increased
The Theosophical Society was very active in Victoria.
Its first building in Melbourne appears to have been in
Flinders Street about which little is known, but the second
was in Collins Street known as Queens Hall, a single-story
building, and this was demolished to permit the erection, in
1936, of a building designed for theosophical purposes.
Theosophical work was carried on at Collins Street until
the 1970’s when the City Council, after a long and sometimes
acrimonious debate, forced a sale for the purpose of
redevelopment. With the proceeds of the sale a new building
was erected at Russell Street and opened on March 18,
1975, which the Melbourne Lodge now (2004) occupies.<p>
Since its chartering the Australian Section had been administered
by a General Secretary, but latterly it became
apparent that the existing administrative structure was having
difficulty in coping with the increased expectations of
the members. After canvassing the Lodges for suggestions
it was decided to restructure the Section administration and
the position of General Secretary was abolished and in
1993 that of President and National Secretary created. Responsibilities
were divided, the President being responsible
for public relations and lodge liason, and theosophical
lecturing and the National Secretary for office administration.<p>
During the latter half of the twentieth century both the
membership and the number of lodges remained fairly
static. The Adelaide (South Australia) Lodge, long established
in the city center at King William Street, moved to a
new location at 310 South Terrace. Perth Lodge (Western
Australia), formerly located at Museum Street near the city
center, suffered a resumption of its property by the City
Council and moved to its present (2004) location at 21
Glendower Street, Perth.
<p>
In 1999 the number of lodges stood at 13 and registered
study groups at 5. There are retreat properties at Springbrook,
Queensland, and Mt. Helena, Western Australia.<p>
Theosophy and Education in Australia. From the earliest
years theosophists worldwide had taken an active interest
in education and Australian members were no
exception. Prominent theosophist Mabel Mackay was a
councillor of the NSW Kindergarten Union. In 1913 the
theosophist members of the Order of the Star distributed
7,000 copies of a brochure Education as Service. Lily Arnold
and Jessie Macdonald were principals of a theosophically
orientated school known as Apsley House Girls
School, Stanmore, established in 1913. In 1915 a private
theosophical school was started in Devonport, Tasmania.
On April 9, 1918, Morven Garden School was opened with
funds provided by the Theosophical Society and by 1920
112 students were enrolled; it closed in 1923.<p>
General Secretaries of the Theosophical Society in
Australia are the following:
1895-1897 John Staples
1896-1897 Thomas Hammond Martyn
(Acting General Secretary)
1897-1898 James Scott
1898-1899 Thomas Hammond Martyn
1899-1901 Dr. A. Marques
1901-1902 H. Arthur Wilson
1902-1916 William G. John
1916-1919 Thomas Hammond Martyn
1919-1924 Dr. Jack Bean
1924-1926 Josephine Ransom
1926-1928 George S. Arundale
1928-1934 Harold Morton
1934-1936 Clara Codd
1936-1947 Ray G. Litchfield
1947-1957 James L. Davidge
1957-1965 Helen Zahara
1965-1973 Ruth Beringer
1973-1981 Elaine Murdoch
1981-1983 Jack Patterson
1983-1991 Dianne Kynaston
1991-1993 Patricia Witts
1993-1996 Joy Mills (President)
1996-2002 Beverley Champion (President)
2002- Linda Oliveira
<p>
References:
The Golden Book of the Theosophical Society (1925)
A Short History of the Theosophical Society, J. Ransom, 1938
Theosophy in Australasia (various issues)
Theosophy in Australia, (various issues)
Beyond Belief, J. Roe (1986)
The Seventy-fifth Anniversary Book, J. Ransom (1950).
<p>
P.S.H.
