Freemasonry in South Australia

South Australian Freemasonry dates back to before the South Australian company left English shores to found the new colony. A group of men petitioned the Grand Lodge of England for a new lodge which would be based in what was to become South Australia, to enable them to practice their Freemasonry and initiate others. This new lodge was warranted the South Australian Lodge of Friendship No.613 and met twice in London before the ships set sail in order to initiate new members.

During the first decade of Freemasonry in South Australia (1834-1844), the Craft was solely represented by the Lodge of Friendship.  The first meeting in South Australia was held at the Assembly Rooms in Black’s Port Lincoln Hotel, Franklin Street on 11 August 1838.

The first Scottish Constitution lodge, Adelaide (St. John’s) No. 341 S.C. first met early in 1844.  During the next ten years five new lodges were formed under the English Constitution.  In 1854 a group of brethren under the English Constitution applied to the Grand Lodge of Ireland for a warrant, which was duly granted on 7 September 1855.  The first meeting of the Duke of Leinster Lodge No. 363 I.C. was held on 4 March 1856.

By 1883, the number of Masonic Lodges in South Australia had increased to 33. Of these, twenty Lodges were under the English Constitution, seven under the Irish Constitution and six under the Scottish Constitution. Each group was organized under a District or Provincial Grand Lodge, holding its warrant from its Mother Grand Lodge in the United Kingdom. There was a similar position in each of the other Australian Colonies and in New Zealand at that time.  Good relations prevailed between the three Provincial Grand Lodges in South Australia.

In the early 1880’s it was felt that after almost fifty years of growth, Freemasonry in South Australia had come of age and that Freemasons in this colony should be able to choose their own rulers and manage their own affairs, although they would naturally continue to look with gratitude and affection to the Mother Grand Lodges from which they had sprung. A further reason, of a more material nature, was the slowness and difficulty of communication at that time between any part of Australia and the United Kingdom.  It sometimes took three or more months for letters to go by ship to Great Britain and for a reply to come back in the same way.

The Grand Lodge of South Australia was established on the 16th day of April 1884 and the following day, at 10 am on 17th April 1884, the inaugural meeting of the new Grand Lodge was held in the Adelaide Town Hall. Bro. S.J. Way, Chief Justice, was then duly obligated, invested and installed as Most Worshipful Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of South Australia. He went on to rule the Grand Lodge of South Australia for a total of over thirty years of selfless service, being elected and Installed as Grand Master 26 times.

Thirty Lodges joined together in constituting the new Grand Lodge and the total number of members on the Register at 17 April 1884 was 2,064. Of the male population of South Australia at that time, 1.37% were Freemasons (this percentage eventually reached as high as 5.76%). The number of Freemasons in South Australia rose from 2,241 and 30 lodges in 1884 and peaked at 27,877 in 1961 and 219 lodges in 1978.