Ronald Bates
Ronald Bates | |
|---|---|
 Ronald Bates, 1964. | |
| Born | November 15, 1930 Moss Side, Manchester, England |
| Died | June, 2006 New Zealand |
| NSA member | Luxembourg 1962 - ???? |
Ronald Bates (November 15, 1930 - June, 2006) was an English Bahá’í who served as the Secretary-General of the Bahá’í International Community and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Luxembourg.
Biography[edit]
Bates was born in Moss Side, Manchester, England in 1930 to Joseph and Lillian Bates. His family moved to Wythenshawe in 1933 or 1934 where he attended Rack House Primary School and a Methodist Sunday School. He was also a member of his Methodist Churches choir in his youth.[1]
In 1945 Bates left school and began working in health insurance and joined a Cathedral choir and dramatic society. In 1946 he began working for a food and manufacturing company becoming a road sales representative in 1948 and moving to York. He felt unfulfilled and in 1951 he resigned from his job and returned to Manchester where he worked several jobs before becoming a marketing manager for a carpet sales company. He first heard of the Baha’i Faith around this time, began investigating the religion, and declared in September, 1957.[1]
After becoming a Baha’i Bates attended a teaching conference and was inspired to pioneer moving to Eccles in North Manchester in 1957. He volunteered to pioneer to a goal of the Ten Year Crusade within England in 1958 and through consultation with his employer he was able to pioneer to Loughborough while remaining employed by the company. He later pioneered to Nottingham at the request of the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles and was appointed to the National Teaching Committee.[1]
Bates went on pilgrimage in February 1960 and during his pilgrimage he volunteered to pioneer to anywhere in the world.[1] He was advised to settle in Luxembourg and moved to the country later the same year and secured a position working for the Spencer Chemicals Company ultimately becoming its managing director.[1] He met fellow Bahá’í Geertrui Ankersmit shortly after arriving in Luxembourg who he married in April 1961 with their wedding being the first Bahá’í marriage in Luxembourg.[2] In 1962 the National Spiritual Assembly of Luxembourg was established and Bates was elected as an inaugural member.[1]
While serving on the Luxembourg Assembly Bates also traveled throughout Europe visiting Norway, Sweden, England, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, France, and Greece. When the first International Baha’i Convention was held in the Holy Land in 1963 he submitted a postal vote as he had contracted hepatitis during his travels and was unable to attend in person. He was able to attend the First Baha’i World Congress in London later in the year.[1]
In June 1966 Bates and his family returned to England settling in Epsom, and they later moved to Ewell in Surrey in approximately 1968. The Universal House of Justice invited him to serve in the Holy Land in July, 1970, and he resigned his job and moved to Haifa with his wife and two children. He was appointed the Deputy Secretary-General of the Baha’i International Community and a member of the Department of Israel Affairs. He was also directed to join the Rotary Club of Haifa by the Universal House of Justice and ultimately became the groups President.[1]
In 1988 Bates was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Baha’i International Community and moved to Jerusalem to serve in the role. He began suffering transient ischaemic attacks which caused him to have days where he was unable to work and he decided to retire from the role. He consulted with the Universal House of Justice and moved from the Holy Land to New Zealand settling in Whangarei in December 1991.[1]
In New Zealand Bates served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Whangarei and was able to proclaim the Faith across northern New Zealand by giving speeches at Rotary Clubs. In 1998 he moved to Kerikeri with his wife where they resided in a retirement village. He passed away in New Zealand in 2006.[1]
