The Buddhist Society of Victoria (BSV) was founded in 1953 and remains highly active to this day. It initially had both a Theravadan and Mahayana focus, with Theravadin Len Bullen its first President, and prominent Zen Buddhists Max Dunn, Les Oates and Len Henderson among its early members. The BSV hosted visiting monastic teachers including Burmese Buddhist U Thittila and Sri Lankan Venerable Piyadassi in the 1950s and 1960s.ⁱ 

Elizabeth Bell and Beatrice Ribush then led the BSV from the 1960s for decades. The BSV first met in Elizabeth’s house in Carlton and purchased its first centre ‘Buddha House’ in Richmond in 1975. The BSV hosted teachings by Australian resident monastic Buddhist teachers, Sri Lankan Venerable Samaloka, Thai Buddhist Phra Khantipalo, and Ayya Khema in the 1970s and 1980s.ⁱⁱ 

The BSV began a close relationship with the Thai Forest Tradition’s Western Australian resident monks and teachers Ajahn Jagaro and Ajahm Brahm in the 1980s, and relocated to a larger property in Malvern East in 1994, where the Buddhaloka Centre and Vihara remain located. The BSV also established the Newbury Buddhist Monastery, for monks and nuns in 2015, and a retreat centre there in 2025. Micheal Wells played a significant leadership role in the BSV since the 1990s and Adrian Tee, Indira and Rahan Jayasinghe greatly supported the BSV in the 2010-2020s.ⁱⁱⁱ  

BSV holds regular teachings at its premises, for adults, young people and children, and houses a library on its first floor.  It celebrated its 70^th Anniversary in 2023.^iv  

By Anna Halafoff and Ruth Fitzpatrick