Harold Collis Featherstone (13 May 1913 – 29 September 1990) was an Australian Baháʼí from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. Born in

Quorn, South Australia Quorn is a small town and railhead in the Flinders Ranges in the north of South Australia, northeast of Port Augusta. At the , the locality had a population of 1,230, of which 1,131 lived in its town centre. Quorn is the home of the Flinders R ...

and a childhood in

Smithfield, South Australia Smithfield is a suburb in the northern outskirts of Adelaide, South Australia. It is in the City of Playford. Geography Smithfield has Main North Road as its eastern boundary, with service stations, the historic Smithfield Hotel and several othe ...

and then studied accounting but took up engineering in 1932 and worked for a large engineering firm until 1936. By the time he married in 1938 he was already a partner in an engineering business making pressed metal parts. He and his wife joined the Baháʼí Faith in 1944 as the first of "young people" to enter in the

community (see

Baháʼí Faith in Australia The Baháʼí Faith has a long history in Australia. The first known mention of events related to the history of the religion was several reports in Australian newspapers in 1846. After sporadic mentions a turning point was a mention of Australia ...

). He exchanged some 20 letters and cables on all manner of subjects with the then head of the religion,

Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; 1 March 1897 – 4 November 1957) was the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, appointed to the role of Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957. He created a series of teaching plans that over ...

. In 1946 the Featherstones helped establish the Woodville Baháʼí

Local Spiritual Assembly Spiritual Assembly is a term given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Baháʼí Faith. Because the Baháʼí Faith has no clergy, they carry out the affairs of the community. In addition to existing at the local level ...

. Featherstone served in the

National Spiritual Assembly Spiritual Assembly is a term given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Baháʼí Faith. Because the Baháʼí Faith has no clergy, they carry out the affairs of the community. In addition to existing at the local level ...

of Australia from 1949 to 1962. In 1954 he was appointed to a new institution for the religion as an Auxiliary Board member for Australia by

Clara Dunn Clara Hyde Dunn (May 12, 1869 – November 18, 1960) was an Irish-Canadian nurse who became a Baháʼí in 1907 in Walla Walla, Washington. In 1920, she moved to Australia with her husband John Henry Hyde Dunn, where they played a key role ...

and was able to rearrange his business affairs to allow him flexibility and freedom to travel widely by becoming a co-owner of an engineering company. In October 1957 he was appointed a

Hand of the Cause of God Hand of the Cause was a title given to prominent early members of the Baháʼí Faith, appointed for life by the religion's founders. Of the fifty individuals given the title, the last living was ʻAlí-Muhammad Varqá who died in 2007. Hands of ...

. From 1957 Featherstone maintained an 18-member Auxiliary Board (nine for propagation, nine for protection), spread throughout the Pacific, until that function was assumed by a three-member Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia in 1968. In 1976 Featherstone sold his business interest and the family moved to

Rockhampton, Queensland Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

, and devoted their time to the interests of the religion. He and his wife traveled widely among the countries of the Pacific and beyond. On 29 September 1990 he died in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, while visiting the Baháʼís there.

Notes

References

External links

*H. Collis Featherstone a
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Australian Bahá'ís Hands of the Cause 1913 births 1990 deaths Converts to the Bahá'í Faith 20th-century Bahá'ís {{Baháʼí-stub