Independent Order of Rechabites (Northcote)

157 Westbourne Grove

The Independent Order of Rechabites (IOR) was formed 30 May 1876 and was one of the earliest fraternal organisations in Northcote. Northcote’s tent (fidelity Tent No. 217) was considered the largest IOR Tent in the Commonwealth. Their hall, at 157 Westbourne Grove, was built in 1901. Prominent Rechabites in Northcote were Cr. Ralph Archbold, who opposed Croxton Hotel for poor behaviour of the patrons and Northcote’s rate collector James Membrey. The Star of Northcote disbanded in the mid 1990s.

The Independent Order of Rechabites were a Temperance Movement that began in Salford, England in 1835. It was named after Rechab, a leader in the Old Testament of the Bible, who instructed his tribe to refrain from drinking alcohol. They were a society that looked after their members at times of hardship or sickness.

Michelle, P. (Date unknown) The Rechabites’ Tour of Northcote c1900. Retrieved 8/10/2024,

https://northcotehistory.weebly.com/uploads/8/3/1/7/8317304/rechabites_tour_of_northcote_c1900.pdf

StarofNorthcote.pdf(PDF, 73KB)