Fought Against Poverty And Hardship

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31225, 24 November 1966, Page 13

Fought Against Poverty And Hardship

Daniel De Foe, author of i Robinson Crusoe, made what is considered the first reliable reference to the friendly society, the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

This was more than 200 years ago.

Thereafter the movement developed in a somewhat haphazard fashion until 1813, when in Manchester members established a form of government and control under which membership was to rise to many hundreds of thousands.

j Insecurity of employment, poverty and the absence of State assistance during times of distress in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were the problems which friendly societies were

established to relieve. Persons in poor circum-

stances formed themselves into groups in local areas called “lodges” which held funds which members contributed and from which payments were made to meet funeral costs and to provide relief to members in distress

or travelling in search of employment.

Added to this primary purpose of financial relief through group co-operation was the opportunity through regular meetings to enjoy social conviviality. In those early times, because of the Government’s fear of subversive activities, the most innocent of gatherings was suspect.

Friendly societies guarded their existence jealously and maintained the secrecy of their meetings in a manner which today might seem amusing.

Mainly through the efforts of a few champions of the movement, Government suspicion was gradually dispelled during the nineteenth century until the position was reversed.

Legislation was enacted giving recognition and legal status to friendly societies. The most important year for the Manchester Unity Friendly Society in New Zealand was 1842.

On April 7 of that year at Nelson was held the first lodge meeting in this country.

In 1853 the City of Christchurch Lodge was formed, followed by Kaiapoi Lodge in 1858 and Volunteer Lodge in 1866.

It is interesting to note that the City of Norwich Lodge was formed in Lyttelton in 1850 and that members of that lodge walked across the hills, were ferried across the Heathcote River and continued by road to assist in the establishment of the City of Christchurch Lodge. Such was the enthusiasm of members in those early days. Today the North Canterbury district has 15 lodges with a membership exceeding 2000. Until 1902 all Manchester Unity districts in New Zealand were subject to the jurisdiction of Manchester, but in that year, a Central Governing Body was established for this country.

Today the assets of this central body exceed £2,000,000, representing the investment of the contributions of members throughout New Zealand in the same manner and for the same purpose as lodges collected contributions from their members in England over a century ago.

At the beginning of the last century members formed lodges as social centres and contributed to benefit funds for their mutual security in adversity.

As the Manchester Unity Friendly Society was then, so it still is today. But the needs of a modern Society, although fundamentally the same as in earlier times, are more complex and

cover a greater range. This the Manchester Unity Friendly Society has always readily recognised, and its present growing membership and financial resources ate no doubt due in no small measure to this recognition.