The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) maintains a structure of Lodges throughout the world. It was founded in 1819 in Baltimore, USA with the establishment of Washington Lodge No. 1. A fundamental aim of the organisation is to provide care for orphaned and neglected children as well as the elderly.
This lodge received its charter from Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows in England. Since its foundation its mandate has been ‘to visit the sick, relieve the distressed, educate the orphan and bury the dead.’
In Australia, the IOOF ran the Independent Order of Oddfellows’ Orphanage in Cottesloe, Western Australia. It also ran the Leslie Tooth Home in Manly, Queensland. In South Australia, representatives from the IOOF sat on the boards of management of several children’s institutions: Morialta Protestant Children’s Home 1924-1972, Toorak Gardens Boys’ Hostel 1967-1972, and Morialta Children’s Homes Incorporated 1972-1974.
In Western Australia, the Independent Order of Oddfellows (IOOF) was established in Perth in 1898. It continued to support fundraising efforts for other children’s institutions in WA after the Cottesloe orphanage closed in around 1940.
In Australia in 2013, lodges operated in South Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. According to the website of the Independent Order of Oddfellows South Australia, in 2025 IOOF lodges exist in New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania.
