I was born in Sunderland, Co. Durham, on 19 September 1942 and was baptised in St Peter’s Church, Monkwearmouth (founded c.640 AD). It was my father’s mother, a strong Church of England churchgoer, who ensured that my brother Gordon and I had bibles and prayer books. I attended church from early childhood and also a Baptist Sunday School and midweek classes for some years. I then joined a local church choir until leaving school.

My father had been a valet pre-war and chauffeur-gardener post-war, then became a storeman in a government military research establishment. His background included connections with farming and the countryside. My mother was from Sunderland, with family occupations connected to coal-mining and seafaring. She was also in “service” pre-war, and later was an occasional “daily” for wealthy people and in offices.

Father was a somewhat sceptical member of the Church of England but he did attend church. My mother had an informal Presbyterian background but was confirmed, with me, in the mid-1950s. They both attended church until their deaths but were not antagonistic to the Bahá’í Faith. Mother actually helped teach the faith to a neighbour in Sunningdale, Berkshire, who became a Bahá’í.

Before attending university, I spent some time in the northern part of the Lake District with my father’s uncle, who was a Captain in the Church Army, and officiated at some local isolated village churches.

From 1945-61 my life was spent in southern England.I went to Strode’s Grammar School in Egham, Surrey, then to university in Swansea from 1961-64. I graduated with a degree in Geography and went into Town Planning which took me to Lancashire from 1964-72 and later enabled my pioneer moves to Inverness (1972-76) and Lesotho (1976-80). On return from the latter I could get no planning job so took one managing a Youth Training Scheme which led to other management work up to early retirement in 1999, followed by a period of part-time research interviewing (some for a Scottish Office Department).

I was active as C of E /Anglican at university in Swansea (alongside Mary Perkins) then in SW Lancs while in Ormskirk, where I engaged in Sunday school teaching, helping the curate with a youth group, was a member of the Parochial Church Council, active in church social life, attended Liverpool diocesan conferences (eg. Swanwick), and knew the bishops of Liverpool and Warrington.

I moved to Burnley early in 1969 but did not settle in any particular parish church.

I came across the Bahá’í Faith at the same time as I was in a church group (mixed clergy/laity) which was studying social issues, and I was able to contrast the lack of church answers with many Bahá’í answers during six months of weekly firesides. My initial contact was with a Bahá’í exhibition in the local library, where I volunteered a contact name/ address.  I noticed some press publicity and some adverts and eventually, after some time, responded to an invitation card to an event (where the celebrity actress Linda Marshall was coming to Burnley). This captivated me with the spirit of the Faith so I attended firesides regularly for six months.  I gradually identified myself more with the Faith and took part in trips and other activities including public meetings and weekend schools. I declared as a Bahá’í one evening during a large fireside in Burnley in September 1969, having had most difficulty in accepting that this did not mean my abandoning Christ.

I was attracted by the love of the Bahá’ís and by the practicality of the teachings, in contrast to Christianity having lost its way in not having valid advice for modern mankind. Of the laws of which I was aware, the ban on alcohol did not pose a serious problem although it affected my social life (I had taken the opportunity to ask Betty Reed about the reasons for this law when she visited Burnley).

My parents and brother found out from me on my next visit home, near Ascot, that I had become a Bahá’í, but took it quite calmly, without at first understanding very much about it.

Pioneering was much in evidence, and I responded to the idea but thought it impossible, having just bought my first house (a bungalow in Burnley). At Teaching Conference 1971 I volunteered for Inverness because I had seen a job advert for Ross and Cromarty. Following this through, I applied and got the job, staying at first with Harold and Betty Shepherd at 42 Island Bank Road, Inverness.

This brought their daughter Ann Shepherd and me together, which led to our marriage in August 1973. This was held in Inverness before the official recognition of Bahá’í Marriage Officers, so we had the registry office in the morning, and the Bahá’í ceremony in the afternoon at a local hotel. This made Scottish Sunday newspaper headlines concerning “Two Weddings in same day”.  It happened that Mary Perkins had also become a Baha’í, and had met Ann’s aunty, Irene Bennett, and Harold and Betty Shepherd in Uganda in 1972.  At their suggestion, Mary visited Inverness before attending the 1973 Bahá’í Summer School at Carbisdale Castle in Ross-shire, of which I was the registrar. She stayed on to attend our wedding which was shortly afterwards. We were then living at 22 Swanston Avenue in Inverness.

Harold and Betty had pioneered to Uganda in 1972 and their son Brian, and wife Sally, moved in to 42 Island Bank Road in 1973 from Aberdeen. In the early 1970s there was quite a lot of teaching work in the Moray area particularly, and also Nairn (including the annual tent exhibition at the Nairn Highland/Agricultural Show); this intensified while Ann and I were away in Lesotho. During this Inverness period we were involved in the Unit Teaching Committee and its members from the Highlands and Islands. In spite of travel and financial difficulties, people managed to get to Inverness from the Islands (Western, Orkney, Shetland) and some of us the other way about. I visited all these islands for teaching trips, giving talks etc.  I also made a ten-day visit to the Faroes.

By 1976 we also had Iain and Elizabeth Palin, Andy and Bella Syme and Marjorie Giorgi, so Inverness had quite a strong community. Then early that year we pioneered to Lesotho in Southern Africa. Mary Perkins featured again, in having published a useful women’s magazine article about Africa and Lesotho shortly before we went out there.

We had a wonderful four years in Lesotho, both serving on the Maseru Spiritual Assembly. I was also serving on the National Properties Committee trying to get local centres built and Ann was on a Women’s Committee and looked after Statistics (mainly enrolment cards). We had our first child in 1978 (born in Orkney following a leave period after two years). With my parents needing to see their only grandchild, and Ann’s father in failing health (back in Orkney), we decided to return at the expiry of my second Overseas Service Aid Scheme contract in 1980. This had been a very satisfying period of service, enriched by working with other pioneers including Dwight and Carole Allan (ex-USA), Peter and Grace Manins (who was the daughter of Enoch Olinga), Kal and Shanta Basin (daughter of Counsellor Appa, and herself an Auxiliary Board member), Vera and Riaz Razavi (I officiated at their wedding – he was one of those murdered a few years later in a nearby “Homeland”), John and Joyce Edmonds (she came from Inverness originally), and many others from Iran, USA, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, and Japan. Also memorable were travel teacher visitors including Charles Hellaby, Richard Hainsworth and Venus Alae (later Carew). We were also privileged to see Hands of the Cause Dr Muhajir (who had visited in Inverness before we left) and Collis Featherstone, and the Counsellors in Southern Africa.

Returning to Inverness in 1980, and unable to get a job again in town planning, we stayed and were able to maintain the Assembly. I had been out of work for a year when Rúhíyyih Khánum made her extended visit to the Highlands and I chauffeured her around. She arranged for prayers for me at the Bahá’í World Centre and within a month or two I had obtained a job with the Council in the Youth Training Scheme.

We were locally quite active in the 1980s and I was involved in many fireside talks and public events and talks to young people. With some people leaving, including Betty Reed, and our growing family of four children, things seemed to become more of an effort. There have continued to be changes, comings and goings, and a fairly steady core group including those who are now ageing.

Of particular significance have been the (mainly Scottish) Summer Schools and the experience of helping with teaching activities in Malta, with an initial brief time in 2010, then three months in 2011 and another month in 2012.

In more recent years there have been more rewarding experiences as members of the local Interfaith group, including memorable weekends at Iona (with the Abbey) and Samye Ling in the Borders (in a restful Buddhist environment).

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Tom Mackenzie

Inverness, February 2021

 

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