Harold Fitzner
Harold Thomas Robert Fitzner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 10, 1893 Eudunda, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | February 3, 1969 Dili, East Timor |
| NSA member | Australia & NZ 1943 - 1946 1947 - 1948 |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Florence Parry (1906-1980) |
| Parent(s) | Ernst Heinrich Pftizner and Delia Fitzgerald |
Harold Thomas Fitzner (November 10, 1893 – February 3, 1969)[1] was an early South Australian Bahá'í, a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Adelaide, a member and Chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand, and Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for Portuguese Timor (now East Timor). He was also involved in the publication of the Australian Bahá'í periodical Herald of the South.
Life[edit]
Australia[edit]
Harold was born into a Catholic family in Eudunda, South Australia in 1893. At some point he moved to Adelaide where he met his future wife Florence Parry while playing tennis.[2] Harold first heard of the Faith in 1927 when he and Florence heard Hyde Dunn speak at a meeting in North Adelaide. They both became Bahá'ís soon after and Harold committed himself to memorising the writings, and once wrote out the entirety of Gleanings to help him learn it.
Harold married Florence in 1931, and their wedding was one of the first Bahá'í ceremonies in the country.[3] They began holding firesides in their home, and Harold would invite whoever he sat next to on the tram ride home from work to the firesides. Harold was elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Adelaide when it was re-established in the 1930’s, and served as Secretary for some time. The Fitzner’s assisted in preparing the Adelaide community for the visits of Keith Ransome-Kehler in 1931 and Martha Root in 1939. In addition to serving the Adelaide community the Fitzner’s visited many South Australian towns to teach the Faith, including Florence's home town of Port Pirie where they held public meetings at the Unity Hall in 1951 and the Town Hall of Pirie in 1952 and 1953.[4][5][6]
In 1946 Harold was involved in a minor controversy at the National Convention when he accused his fellow Adelaide delegates of electioneering. This caused four delegates to refuse to acknowledge the incoming National Spiritual Assembly, and the Convention had to send a telegram to the Holy Land to seek a resolution to the issue. Shoghi Effendi said the issue occurred due to the extreme zeal and immaturity of the Australian and New Zealand communities, and the community suggested that increased representation would help avoid the same issue arising in the future. Shoghi Effendi increased the number of delegates at the Australian/New Zealand Convention to nineteen.
From 1946 to 1954 Harold visited Kingston, a town several hours drive from Adelaide, once a month with Collis Featherstone to teach the Faith.[7]
Efforts to Pioneer[edit]
Harold attended the New Delhi Intercontinental Conference in 1953 and volunteered to pioneer to Portuguese Timor immediately after hearing Shoghi Effendi’s call for pioneers, retiring from his position as chief clerk of the North British Mercantile Insurance Company after 39 years of service as soon as he arrived back in Australia. He had surgery at Calvary Hospital[8] and studied Timor while waiting for his visa to be approved, and initially planned on learning the native languages of the Island so he could translate the writings, however he was told that there was little point as the languages were dying out.
Only Portuguese citizens were granted entry to Timor at the time, and another Bahá'í, Irene Jackson, had already been refused entry to the country. Harold unsuccessfully attempted to secure a visa from the Australian consular in Timor. He then went to India with his wife and attempted to secure a visa from the Portuguese Consulate in Bombay, who told him that he had to apply for a visa from Australia. The Fitzners were questioned by Australian government officials who were suspicious of their repeated attempts to enter Timor, and Shoghi Effendi suggested that they could aim for a different pioneering goal.
The Fitzner’s persisted, and an application sent directly to the Governor of Timor from the Australian Department of External Affairs successfully secured a visa of temporary residence. Harold arrived in Portugese Timor on June 30, 1954, and his wife joined him in October. The following letter was written to Harold on behalf of Shoghi Effendi:
”He (Shoghi Effendi) is deeply moved by the spirit of devotion which animates you both in your longing to arise and serve at this time. We know that the state of the heart of the believer attracts the Divine outpourings and the granting of the visa to Mr. Fitzner to enter Portuguese Timor, after so much effort, is clearly an evidence of the working of this great spiritual law.” [9]
East Timor[edit]
The Fitzner’s were joined in Timor by Jose Marques, a Portuguese Bahá'í. Marques received financial support from the Australian National Spiritual Assembly, and as a result the Timorese government viewed Marques and the Fitzner’s with suspicion. In August 1955 Marques was arrested after sending a telegram to the World Centre in Israel, and Harold was questioned by police. Harold expected that they would be deported from the country, but the Catholic Bishop of Timor intervened and they were allowed to stay.
The Fitzner’s began teaching English classes from their home in 1955, and eventually built a school in Dili in 1962. In 1959 the Fitzner’s purchased a building to serve as a Haziratu'l-Quds with funds donated by the Australian community, and a Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1963.
Harold had to return to Australia in 1957 and 1958 for medical treatment, and he last visited Australia with his wife to attend the Yerrinbool Bahá'í Summer School of 1965.[10] By 1966 Harold was suffering from cancer but did not return to Australia for treatment, stating that he wanted to die at his pioneer post. He passed away in 1969 after being bedridden for six months and was buried in the Chinese Cemetery in Dili. The Universal House of Justice sent the following cable after his passing:
DEEPLY GRIEVED LEARN PASSING DEARLY LOVED KNIGHT BAHAULLAH HAROLD FITZNER AT HIS PIONEER POST PORT DILI DEVOTED SERVICES REMEMBERED ANNALS FAITH STOP CONVEY LOVING SYMPATHY FAMILY FRIENDS ASSURE PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS SOUL ABHA KINGDOM[11]
Family[edit]
Harold's parents were Ernest H. Pfitzner (1861-1939) and Delia Fitzgerald (1857 - 1950). He had a younger brother, Frank Bernie (1895-1982), who served as a Bombardier in Howitzer Brigade 23, Battery 109 enlisting in 1915, embarking on 1916, and being discharged in 1917.[12] The Fitzners were Roman Catholics.[13]
Harold and Florence’s only child was David, born in June 1933.
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=136973020
- ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=151400677
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 727. View as PDF.
- ↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96250613?searchTerm=Harold%20Fitzner&searchLimits=
- ↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96225470?searchTerm=Harold%20Fitzner&searchLimits=
- ↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96236229?searchTerm=Harold%20Fitzner&searchLimits=
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 812. View as PDF.
- ↑ http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130981646?searchTerm=Harold%20Fitzner&searchLimits=
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 450. View as PDF.
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/hassall_yerrinbool_1938-1988
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 451. View as PDF.
- ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/93781138?searchTerm="Harold%20Fitzner"%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=
- ↑ https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=98669
- In Memoriam Article, Bahá'í World, Vol. 15, pp 449-451
- And the Trees Clapped their Hands: Stories of Bahá'í Pioneers, ed. Clair Vreeland, pages 320-332, Oxford: George Ronald, 1994: https://bahai-library.com/hassall_fitzners_portuguese_timor
External Links[edit]
- Harold Fitzner on WikiTree - family tree
