Pieter J. de Vogel

Pieter J. de Vogel
Born	1930 Rotterdam, Holland
Died	March 5, 1995 Bathurst, Australia
NSA member	Australia 1965 - 1976 1978 - 1993 1994 - 1995 Belgium 1976 - 1977

Pieter J. de Vogel (1930 - March 5, 1995) was a Dutch-Australian Baháʼí who served on the National Spiritual Assemblies of Australia and Belgium, and helped establish the Australian Baháʼí Office of Government Affairs. In his career he was a business and hotel manager, an architectural model maker for the Australian National Capital Development Commission, and co-founded the Australian Tertiary Institutions Commercial Companies Association.

Biography

Vogel was born in Rotterdam, Holland, in 1930. He studied at a hotel management school in The Hague, graduated in 1949, and moved to Australia in 1952 where he settled in Canberra and became assistant manager of Hotel Canberra.

In 1956 he became a Baháʼí and met Clara Dunn, and in 1957 he was elected to the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Canberra. He was appointed the government liaison officer for the Baháʼí community in the late 1950's. In 1965 Vogel was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia as treasurer, and he served in that office until 1968 when he was elected secretary.

In 1975 he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and visited Iran, before pioneering to Belgium where he was elected to that countries National Spiritual Assembly. He returned to Australia in 1977 and opened Bathurst to the Faith, and went on to serve on the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Bathurst. In his career he managed conferences and catering at Mitchell College while in Bathurst, and was made a Fellow of the Catering Institute of Australia.

In 1978 Pieter was re-elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia, and he served as treasurer from 1979 to 1990, secretary from 1990 until 1993, and treasurer again as of his passing in 1995. He also served on the legal committee, and Board of Baháʼí Publications during this time, and participated in proclamations of the Faith to prominent officials such as Prime Ministers Robert Menzies and Harold Holt. Towards the end of his life he founded the Baháʼí Office of Government Affairs.

Vogel passed away at his homefront pioneer post of Bathurst in 1995. The Universal House of Justice sent the following cable following his passing:

DEEPLY DISTRESSED NEWS PASSING VALIANT SERVANT CAUSE PIETER DE VOGEL, WHO PLAYED CRUCIAL ROLE DEVELOPMENT AUSTRALIAN BAHA'I COMMUNITY THROUGH DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ALMOST THREE DECADES NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY, INCLUDING LENGTHY PERIODS SECRETARY, TREASURER, CULMINATING HIGHLY MERITORIOUS WORK ESTABLISHMENT OFFICE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS. HIS HIGH SENSE RESPONSIBILITY, TOTAL DEDICATION PROMOTION INTERESTS FAITH WILL STAND EXAMPLE OTHERS CALLED UPON SERVE ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER YEARS AHEAD. KINDLY CONVEY LOVING CONDOLENCES WIFE, FAMILY, ASSURANCE PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS LUMINOUS SOUL.

References

• Obituary published in Baháʼí World: In Memoriam 1992-1997, pp 202-204