Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand Part 19

Although not at that time a Baha'i, Hugh accompanied his mother and sister on their pilgrimage to Haifa in 1925 and accepted the Faith the following year. A tireless worker for the Cause, he was New Zealand's first Auxiliary Board Member and pa.s.sed to the Abha Kingdom on October 16th, 1976 in his ninety-second year.

Note 4. (Letter No. 2)

Effie Baker became disenchanted with the Church and, having an open and enquiring att.i.tude, was one of a committee formed in Melbourne responsible for arranging speakers to address the "New Thought" organisation. This led her to attend a public meeting at which Hyde Dunn spoke on the Baha'i Faith and, recognising the truth of the Message, Effie Baker accepted the Faith the same evening and so became the first woman believer in Australia. She accompanied Martha Root on the latter's lecture tour of New Zealand and, learning of the New Zealand Baha'is projected journey to the Holy Land in 1925, Effie sold her home and joined the pilgrims.

After the bounty of visiting the Shrines and meeting with the Guardian and the Greatest Holy Leaf, Effie acceded to Shoghi Effendi's request and accompanied the New Zealand friends to London so as to contact the British Baha'i community. She planned to return to Australia and a.s.sist the Dunns, and had accepted an invitation from the Ladies of the Holy Family to stop over in Haifa on her homeward journey, but on arriving there in June, she found Shoghi Effendi was away from the Holy Land and so decided to wait until he returned. Her offer to serve was accepted and she remained at the World Centre of the Baha'i Faith in Israel for the next eleven years where she a.s.sumed the duties of hostess, welcoming the friends to the Pilgrim House, using her artistry and talent to photograph events in Haifa for the Guardian. In 1930, when the need arose to secure photographs of places in Persia a.s.sociated with the early history of the Baha'i Faith, Effie undertook arduous journeys by road through Syria and Iraq, undeterred by danger from hostile bandits. This intrepid worker now embarked on an exacting and fruitful period of direct service to the Guardian, often using cars supplied by the Persian believers, at times travelling on horseback, mule or donkey to all but a few sites where it was too dangerous for a westerner to venture. The unique photographic record she obtained was immortalised by being selected by the Guardian for inclusion in Nabil's "The Dawnbreakers".

In 1936, Effie returned to her homeland, Australia, where she looked after the National Archives over a long period. Her last years were spent in a small flat in the Haziratu'l-Quds in Sydney at the invitation of the National Spiritual a.s.sembly of Australia and New Zealand who had been requested by the Guardian to take care of her until her pa.s.sing on January 2nd, 1968.

Note 5. (Letter No. 15)

Mrs Amy Dewing and her son Bertram were among New Zealand's earliest Baha'is; Mrs Dewing came from an orthodox Church of England background and viewed with disapproval her son's questioning att.i.tude which led him to describe himself as a Rationalist. They heard of and accepted the Truth of the Baha'i Cause after meeting with "Mother" and "Father" Dunn in Devonport, Auckland and, in 1926, both of them served as members of the first Local Spiritual a.s.sembly in Auckland. Amy Dewing, as one of a small and persevering group of New Zealand believers, was active in spreading the Message as was her son through whose efforts a Baha'i magazine was published in Australia and New Zealand to promote the teachings. Prior to her pa.s.sing in 1957, Amy Dewing witnessed the emergence of the New Zealand community as an independent ent.i.ty.

Having travelled extensively overseas, Bertram Dewing eventually settled in Auckland. A tireless worker for the Faith, he was a member of the first Local Spiritual a.s.sembly in Devonport in 1951 and in 1958 was elected to the second National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of New Zealand. He pioneered to Hokianga in the same year and a decade later a.s.sisted in spreading the Faith to New Plymouth where he worked for the Cause with unabated zeal until he pa.s.sed to the Abha Kingdom in 1972 at the age of seventy.

Note 6. (Letter No. 16)

Dr Habib, whose older brother attained martyrdom, was born in 1888 at Kerman_sh_ah, Persia and was given the name Mu'ayyad (meaning 'confirmed') by 'Abdu'l-Baha. At the age of twenty-one, when en route to Beirut to begin his medical studies at the American University, he spent a month in the Holy Land with 'Abdu'l-Baha who took a personal interest in his progress. Thereafter he returned each summer to serve the Cause, extending hospitality to visitors and pilgrims, recording daily events, acquiring spiritual knowledge from outstanding Baha'i scholars and being entrusted with the receipt and dispatch of Tablets. Referring to Habib's student days, 'Abdu'l-Baha extolled the young man's influence, detachment and sanct.i.ty, saying "the fragrance of Beirut" perfumed His nostrils.

After graduating from the University of Beirut in 1914, Dr Habib operated a dispensary at Abu-Sinan, a Druse village northeast of Akka where the Master had temporarily settled the Baha'is: this period of close contact with the Holy Family and daily lessons from 'Abdu'l-Baha he was later to describe as the "most precious segment of his life". In a Tablet to Dr Habib's father, 'Abdu'l-Baha described this dedicated young Baha'i as "A lamp enkindled with the love of G.o.d".

In 1915, responding to the Master's specific instructions, Dr Habib returned to his birthplace to practice his profession and teach the Faith to which he was so deeply devoted, and was for forty years a member of the Local Spiritual a.s.sembly of Kerman_sh_ah, also serving for a period on the National Spiritual a.s.sembly. His published works include two volumes of reminiscences based on the principles of the Covenant and the history of the Cause, whilst his much loved poem ent.i.tled "Hold Thou my Hand, O 'Abdu'l-Baha" is widely sung at gatherings of the Baha'is in iran. Dr Habib Mu'ayyad pa.s.sed to the Abha Kingdom on October 29th, 1971.

Note 7. (Letter No. 16)

The Moslem calendar dates from Mu?ammad's emigration or Hijrah from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. The Moslem year begins with the month of Muharram of which the first ten days are observed by _Sh_i'ah Moslems as part of their mourning period for the Imams. The tenth day is called A_sh_ura and commemorates the martyrdom of ?usayn, the grand-son of Mu?ammad, who was cut down by thirty-three strokes of swords and lances and decapitated: his clothes were torn from him and his naked body trampled by horses hooves.

Note 8. (Letter No. 23)

Mrs Emily Axford was born in Huddersfield, England on October 19th, 1870 and was an infant teacher before her marriage. In 1907, the family emigrated to New Zealand where her husband practiced medicine in Te Aroha until his pa.s.sing in 1912, after which Mrs Axford moved to Auckland so as to educate her three children. Having rejected conventional Christianity, she was attracted by the New England Transcendental Movement until she became aware of the Baha'i Faith through her friendship with Sarah Blundell and was enrolled as a member in 1923. Three years later, Mrs Axford was elected Chairman of the first Local Spiritual a.s.sembly in Auckland and for many years conducted cla.s.ses in public speaking to help the friends overcome their shyness and reticence so that they might teach the Faith effectively. Emily was one of three New Zealand delegates who attended the National Convention held in Sydney during 1934 and the following year was elected to the National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand. She continued to work staunchly for the Faith, being appointed in 1946 to the Regional Teaching Committee responsible for formulating teaching plans throughout New Zealand. The following year, she a.s.sumed the delicate task of conducting negotiations with the immigration authorities so that Baha'is from Persia might be permitted to enter New Zealand as University students, and was actively engaged in this work up to the time of her pa.s.sing on December 26th, 1949.

Note 9. (Letter No. 33)

Born in 1900, Miss Kitty Carpenter became a Baha'i in 1936 since when many members of the Carpenter-Hanc.o.c.k family of which she is a member have followed her and joined the Faith. An adventurous and enquiring soul, she undertook her first pilgrimage to Haifa in 1938, arriving there shortly after the marriage of Shoghi Effendi and, after living for two years in Australia, she returned to New Zealand where she embarked on a life of service to the Cause. Towards the end of the Second World War, she willingly made available her premises (a counter lunch-shop) in Anzac Avenue as a venue for the Auckland Baha'i community and, in the 1950's, responded to the call by travel teaching in Mangakino and Whangarei. She served on the National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of New Zealand during 1958 and, two years later, moved from Christchurch to Hamilton to aid in establishing an a.s.sembly there. 1964 saw her travel teaching in Invercargill and the following year she was appointed to the National Teaching Committee. Responding to the need for the believers to establish another a.s.sembly, Kitty finally made her home in Tauranga where she is an active and much loved exponent of the Cause.

Note 10. (Letter No. 37)

This refers to a book on Islam written by Bertram Dewing which was never published.

Individual Addressees

Letters addressed to individuals by letter number. Only letters presented in their entirety are indicated.

1. Margaret Stevenson 2. Sarah Blundell 3. Margaret Stevenson 4. Bertram Dewing 5. Margaret Stevenson 6. Margaret Stevenson 7. Bertram Dewing 8. Margaret Stevenson 9. Sarah Blundell 10. Sarah Blundell 11. Margaret Stevenson 12. Evelyn Watkin 13. Bertram Dewing 14. Sarah Blundell 15. Amy Dewing 16. Amy Dewing 17. Evelyn Watkin 18. Margaret Stevenson 19. ...(13) 20. Bertram Dewing 21. Amy Dewing 22. Amy Dewing 23. Emily Axford 24. Eleanor Leighton 25. Bertram Dewing 26. Ethel Blundell 27. Amy Dewing 28. Ethel Blundell 29. Emily Axford 30. Emily Axford 31. Emily Axford 32. Emily Axford 33. Kitty Carpenter 34. Emily Axford 35. Emily Axford 36. Emily Axford 37. Bertram Dewing 38. Kitty Carpenter 39. Bertram Dewing 40. Kitty Carpenter 41. Kitty Carpenter

Inst.i.tution Addressees

Letters addressed to inst.i.tutions by letter number

42. E. Axford, Auckland Baha'i Group 43. E. Axford, Chairman, Auckland Spiritual a.s.sembly 44. M. Stevenson, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual a.s.sembly 45. National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 46. National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 47. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 48. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 49. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 50. H. M. Brooks, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 51. Auckland Spiritual a.s.sembly 52. National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 53. Auckland Spiritual a.s.sembly 54. National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 55. D. Dive, Secretary, Auckland Spiritual a.s.sembly 56. Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Auckland, New Zealand 57. National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 58. E. B. Dewing, Secretary, Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Auckland, New Zealand 59. M. G. Bolton, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 60. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 61. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 62. J. Heggie, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand 63. Secretary, Regional Teaching Committee for New Zealand 64. The Guardian's message to the first Baha'i Convention in New Zealand, sent to Mrs Clara Dunn; she was asked to read it on behalf of the Guardian at the Convention and then give it to the New Zealand National Spiritual a.s.sembly 65. Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of New Zealand 66. Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of New Zealand 67. N. P. L. Walker, Secretary, National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Australia 68. Secretary, Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of the City of Auckland 69. National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of New Zealand