Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes
Frequently asked questions
Q1: Are you anything to do with the Masons?
Q2: Can Ladies join?
Q3: There appear to be many different groups calling themselves Buffs - are they all the same?
Q4: Are a person's political or religious beliefs important?
Q5: What form does your benevolence take?
Q6: Where does your money come from?
Q7: Do you get any money from the public?
Q8: Which charities do you support?
Q9: Were you really formed 'before the great flood' as the name Antediluvian implies, and was Noah really a Buff?
Q10: Can any man join?
Q11: I have a police record for something I did when I was younger. Will this stop me joining?
Q12: Does a member have to go to every meeting?
Q13: What does it cost to be a member?
Q14: What can a member expect to get from being in the Order?
Are you anything to do with the Masons?
No, we are not connected in any way, though some of our members are also members of the Masons.
There are some similarities between our organisations inasmuch as we are both fraternal organisations and we both consider the welfare of our members to be important.
In addition both organisations wear similar regalia for ceremonies, and there are some slight similarities in our structure.
As the RAOB was formed some time after the Masons it is possible that our early development may have been influenced by members who had experience in the Masons.
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Can Ladies join?
Not at present. The Buffs is a fraternal organisation, which means it is only open to men.
However, there is an allied organisation, the Ladies Glades, which also has Lodges throughout the world. They usually meet in the same venue as the local Buff Lodge. Many of the members are related to members of the Buffs.
There is also the Overseas Buffaloes Association, which accepts family members and has strong allegiance with the Buffs. It was originally formed as a family organisation supporting members returning from working overseas and helping them to re-settle in the UK. In the present day it is a group which welcomes all families.
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There appear to be many different groups calling themselves Buffs - are they all the same?
There are a number of different Banners (or Sections) of the Buffs, each of which has developed along slightly different lines. They are all part of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes. All share the same major objectives.
Some have developed as the result of early rifts in the organisation and some because of the geographical difficulties. Hence you will find a number of Banners in the UK as well as overseas Grand Lodges. Ours is known as the Grand Lodge of England (GLE).
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Are a person's political or religious beliefs important?
No. We respect each other's right to hold individual opinions, and the discussion of such topics is discouraged in our Lodges.
The only allegiance we ask of a member in the UK is that they support the Crown and constitution.
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What form does your benevolence take?
We can help members in need to pay bills, or give clothing or food hampers and the like to help them through difficult times.
We also run two convalescence homes where members and their wives can stay at our expense following periods of illness.
We grant annuities to war widows and regular gifts to the orphans of late members. We can also give education grants to member's children who wish to pursue higher education but who may find this financially difficult.
And what is often even more important than material help, we offer moral support and friendship to members during troubled times, as well as helping with practical problems which may arise.
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Where does your money come from?
From our members. All the money for the upkeep of our Convalescence Homes, for the grants and annuities we give and for the general administration of our Order comes from our members. We do invest some of our money and gain some income in this way but again, the money invested all comes from our members.
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Do you get any money from the public?
We don't get anything for the support of the Order from the public. However, we do hold collections and fund raising events for the many charities we support. In this case all of the proceeds over and above any actual costs incurred go to the charity.
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Which charities do you support?
There are no specific charities singled out by us. We offer support to anyone who needs it, within our means.
At various levels some senior Officers are privileged to choose a charity they wish to support for their year of office. Some Lodges also choose to support selected charities in their area.
The Grand Primo of the section can gain the support of all Lodges and Brethren in his section to hold fund raising events or make donations and may therefore raise quite large sums. Typically the Grand Primo of the G.L.E. can raise in the region of thirty to forty thousand pounds for his chosen charity for the year.
The Provincial Grand Primo is the chief officer for a region and with the support of the Lodges in his region can raise anything from several hundred pounds to several thousand pounds for his chosen project during his year.
Lodges raise money to support these and may also support a good cause of their own, again, raising anything from several hundred to several thousand pounds in a year.
Many Lodges also give gifts to local charities and good causes from their own funds, donated by their members.
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Were you really formed 'before the great flood' as the name Antediluvian implies, and was Noah really a Buff?
It would be nice to think that we really were such an ancient order but this is just part of our mythical history, how this developed no one really knows. This mythical history includes references to Shakespeare, the Earl of Essex and Queen Elizabeth I, all of whom died long before we were formed.
Our records indicate that we were actually formed in the early 19th century, which means that we have been around for quite a while anyway.
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Can any man join?
Membership is open to all men, aged 18 and over, who are of good character.
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I have a police record for something I did when I was younger. Will this stop me joining?
A person's police record would be taken into consideration but it is not necessarily a bar to membership. We stress that a man should be of good character and each person is judged on his personal merit. Someone who committed a minor transgression in his youth and hasn't offended since would stand a good chance of being accepted. Obviously, repeated, recent or serious offences are more likely to have an adverse influence.
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Does a member have to go to every meeting?
No. Whilst we like members to give us their full support we do recognise that people have lives outside of the Buffs.
Not attending regularly can effect your voting rights as well as welfare privileges and advancement in the Order. But provision is made for those who can't attend every meeting for legitimate reasons, shift work, working away from home, family commitments etc.
At the end of the day we are a voluntary organisation, which is meant to be enjoyable, so we don't want members to consider attendance to be a chore.
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What does it cost to be a member?
There is a modest joining fee set by the relevant Grand Lodge to cover the cost of administration, and Lodges are free to impose any additional charges they feel relevant, though most remain modest.
Members are also expected to pay a registration fee whenever they attend. There is an element of this set by our Grand Lodges to cover the upkeep of our convalescence homes and ongoing administration, though Lodges are free to set their own registration fees according to the needs of the Lodge.
Other than this members are given the opportunity to donate to the Lodge funds in various ways at lodge meetings. No member is required to donate anything he cannot afford, nor wishes to give.
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What can a member expect to get from being in the Order?
There is only one thing which is ever promised to a Buff - that is the opportunity to give to those in need.
There are many opportunities for members to give of their time, their efforts, their skills and yes, even their money, to help others, both in the Order and outside.
However, what most Brethren do find is that they develop a wide circle of friends. They will meet people from all over the world and from all walks of life in a very friendly atmosphere.
We have a simple but very true saying which is often heard where Buffs gather:
"There are no strangers in the Buffs, just friends we haven't met yet."
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