The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahai Community Part 124

JOHN FERRABY, Hand of the Cause of G.o.d.

Accepted the Faith in 1941 and was elected to the National a.s.sembly almost immediately. He was Secretary from 1946 until December 1960 when he took up duties at the World Centre. He was also for a number of years manager of the Baha'i Publis.h.i.+ng Trust. On his pa.s.sing in September 1973 the Universal House of Justice called for memorial meetings "ALL COMMUNITIES BAHa'i WORLD" and referred to his "VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION BAHa'i LITERATURE THROUGH HIS BOOK 'ALL THINGS MADE NEW'". ("Baha'i World", Vol. XVI, p.

511.)

MRS FLORENCE "MOTHER" GEORGE

Always proud of the designation "Mother" given to her by 'Abdu'l-Baha when she was one of the early pilgrims to the Holy Land, it was Mother George who introduced the Faith to Dr. John Esslemont. For very many years she conducted Sunday afternoon meetings in her Chelsea home in London and she pa.s.sed away on 4 November 1950 at the age of 91. ("Baha'i World", Vol.

XII, p. 697.)

MuSa BANaNi, Hand of the Cause of G.o.d.

Pioneered with his wife Samihih to Uganda in 1951 and was elevated to the rank of Hand of the Cause in February 1952. The beloved Guardian also described him as the "spiritual conqueror of Africa". In spite of failing health he visited most African territories, served for some five years as the sole Hand of the African Continent, and finally, after many years of constant suffering, pa.s.sed away at his pioneering post in Kampala, Uganda, on 4 September 1971. The Universal House of Justice cabled: "PROFOUNDLY MOURN Pa.s.sING DEARLY LOVED HAND CAUSE MuSa BANaNi RECALL WITH DEEP AFFECTION HIS SELFLESS UNa.s.sUMING PROLONGED SERVICES CRADLE FAITH HIS EXEMPLARY PIONEERING UGANDA CULMINATING HIS APPOINTMENT AS HAND CAUSE AFRICA AND PRAISE BELOVED GUARDIAN AS SPIRITUAL CONQUEROR THAT CONTINENT.

INTERMENT HIS REMAINS AFRICAN SOIL UNDER SHADOW MOTHER TEMPLE ENHANCES SPIRITUAL l.u.s.tRE THAT BLESSED SPOT. FERVENTLY PRAYING SHRINES PROGRESS HIS n.o.bLE SOUL. MAY AFRICA NOW ROBBED STAUNCH VENERABLE PROMOTER DEFENDER FAITH FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE CHEER HIS HEART ABHa KINGDOM. CONVEY FAMILY MOST TENDER SYMPATHIES ADVISE HOLD MEMORIAL MEETINGS ALL COMMUNITIES BAHa'i WORLD BEFITTING GATHERINGS MOTHER TEMPLES". ("Baha'i World", Vol. XV, pp.

4213.)

'ALi NAKHJAVaNi

Left Persia in early 1951, after service for the Faith in youth and teaching activities and as a member of the National a.s.sembly, to join his wife, Violette and her parents, Musa and Samihih Banani, in the British Isles, preparatory to their pioneering to Africa. His teaching activities in Africa took him to remote African villages, and, later, as a.s.sistant to Mr. Banani when he was appointed Hand of the Cause, to many countries on the African continent. Elected Chairman of the first Regional National a.s.sembly of Central and East Africa, then as member of the first elected International Council and finally as member of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.

?a.s.saN AND ISOBEL SABRi

?a.s.san, a young Egyptian Baha'i studying in England in 1945 met Isobel Locke, an American pioneer to England, and they both served with distinction in the Six Year Plan, ?a.s.san on the National Youth and National Teaching Committees and the Nottingham, Birmingham, Belfast, Liverpool, Cardiff and Bristol Spiritual a.s.semblies, and Isobel on the a.s.semblies in Edinburgh, Blackpool, Sheffield and Bristol, as well as on the National Teaching Committee. They married in 1951 and pioneered to Tanganyika and Uganda, where ?a.s.san was on the first National Spiritual a.s.sembly of Central and East Africa. Isobel became a Counsellor and ?a.s.san Secretary of the Continental Pioneer Committee for Africa. They subsequently pioneered to Kenya where they still serve (1979).

ARTHUR NORTON

Was the Treasurer of the special fund for the Shrine of the Bab when he received some letters and receipts. He and his wife Marion were founder members of the Bradford Baha'i community as well as being the first pioneers to Sheffield during the Six Year Plan. He served on the National a.s.sembly for seven and a half years during the period 19381946, when he was obliged to retire due to ill-health in December 1946.

ERIC MANTON

Became a Baha'i in Northampton in 1946 where he was a member of the first Spiritual a.s.sembly. He later pioneered to Edinburgh where he was also on the first Scottish a.s.sembly and to the virgin territory of Northern Rhodesia in 1951. He was Chairman of the first National Spiritual a.s.sembly of South Central Africa in 1964 and of the National a.s.sembly of Zambia for nine years from its formation in 1967. He has remained at his post and became a Zambian citizen in 1973.

DR. ABBaS AND SHOMAIS AFNaN,

Abbas Afnan was a student in Paris and came to England as a pioneer to Africa for the Two Year Plan. _Sh_omais 'Ala'i was the second Persian Baha'i student to come to Northampton to train as a nurse and arrived in 1948. They married at Summer School, Cottingham, Yorks.h.i.+re in 1951 and pioneered soon afterwards-_Sh_omais to Ethiopia and Abbas to Persia. Abbas joined _Sh_omais in Africa in 1953. They returned to England in 1958 and opened the town of Burnley where an a.s.sembly was formed in 1961. In 1975 Abbas pioneered to Newfoundland and _Sh_omais joined him in July 1976.

Abbas was a member of the National a.s.sembly from 1964 until his pioneer move, and _Sh_omais was active in United Nations' affairs. _Sh_omais toured Persia in 1971 at the request of the Universal House of Justice, was one of the representatives of the Baha'i International Community at the International Women's Year Convention in Mexico in 1975 and travelled extensively in the British Isles in 19781979.

EDMUND (TED) CARDELL, Knight of Baha'u'llah

Became a Baha'i in Canada in 1948 and returned to his father's farm in England some time later. He pioneered to Kenya in October 1951 where he was a founder member of the first local a.s.sembly in Nairobi. He became Knight of Baha'u'llah for South West Africa in 1953 and returned to England in 1963. He was elected to the National a.s.sembly in 1973 and is still a member (1979).

DR. JOHN GEORGE MITCh.e.l.l, Knight of Baha'u'llah

Became a Baha'i in 1950, was member of the National a.s.sembly from 1952 to 1954 from which he pioneered as a Knight of Baha'u'llah for Malta. He had pioneered for a short while in Blackpool. He pa.s.sed away on 19 February 1957 at the age of 50. ("Baha'i World", Vol. XIII, p. 901.)

MISS IRENE BENNETT

Became a Baha'i in Kenya in 1953 and has been in pioneering posts since that time. She has served in Portugal, Switzerland, Scotland, Kenya, Uganda (where she was an Auxiliary Board Member), Nigeria, and is presently (1980) in the Central African Republic.

MISS DOROTHY WIGINGTON

Became a Baha'i at Summer School, Exeter in July 1954 and has been a staunch member of the Oxford a.s.sembly from January 1955.