Deposit N376 - Manchester Unity, South Melbourne District deposit

Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows (MUIOOF) had its origins in Manchester, England. It was established in Melbourne on 7 December 1840 when Augustus Greeves, a member of the MUIOOF in England, migrated to Australia and formed the first lodge, Australia Felix Lodge, with journalist Thomas Strode. By the late nineteenth century, Manchester Unity had an extensive network of lodges in metropolitan and country Victoria. The Society was governed by its Annual Moveable Conference (AMC) which, as its name implies, was held in a different Victorian country centre each year. Lodges sent delegates to the AMC, where they voted on policies and rules, and elected the new Board of Directors for the coming year. In 1993 Manchester Unity (Victoria) merged with the Australian Natives Association to form Australian Unity Friendly Society Limited, now known as Australian Unity Limited.