Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Graham Hassall, Thelma Perks, Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1998, bahai-library.com.
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Thelma Perks

Graham Hassall
published in Bahá'í WorldVol. 20 (1986-1992), pp. 903-907

Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1998

With the passing of Miss
Thelma Perks on Saturday 21 May 1988 the Australian Bahá'í
community lost one of its remaining links to the first pioneers
to this vast continent, Clara and Hyde Dunn. Thelma was born on
21 July 1901. Her well-to-do background allowed her to travel
extensively in Europe and North America as a young women, just as
it later enabled her to devote all her time and energy to the
propagation and administration of the Bahá'í Faith throughout the
Australasian region.

As a young woman Thelma
had come upon the Bahá'í Faith while on a ship sailing from
Southhampton to London. She had seen a photo of Abdu'l-Bahá in a
friend's cabin and remarked "That's an interesting
face!". The boat was about to cross the Atlantic, and her
friend, who said she would tell Thelma about Bahá'í when they
arrived in New York, took her to visit the Kinneys at their home
on Riverside Drive. This notable Bahá'í couple lent Thelma their
copy of the Dawnbreakers, which she read in the early hours of
each morning after returning from one or other New York night
club. On one occasion tears streamed spontaneously down her face,
making her realise the truth of the Faith.1

While in America Thelma
met Sylivia Matheson and May Maxwell (who took her to a
nighclub), as well as many other Bahá'ís, whom she promised that
she would visit Clara and Hyde Dunn when she returned to Sydney.
The Dunns, who had brought the Bahá'í teachings to Australia in
1920, were then living in Randwick. They later moved to
Kirribilli on the north side of the harbour, close to Thelma's
residence in Mosman. Thelma thought them such wonderful people
she happily became Clara Dunn's driver and helped the Dunns in
whatever way she could, but it was not until early 1947 that she
became a Bahá'í.

Between 1947 and 1953 the
Australian Bahá'ís pursued a six-year teaching plan in which
Thelma's support for Clara Dunn, and companionship with her
during innumerable teaching trips was invaluable. Together they
visited Bahá'í communties in such far-flung places as Wollongong,
Adelaide and Brisbane. At Ridvan 1948 they flew, together with
Mariette Bolton, to participate in the formation of Woodville
Local Assembly in Adelaide, South Australia. At this time Thelma
served on the library committee of the National Assembly, on the
Regional Teaching Committee for New South Wales and on the Sydney
Assembly. She helped organise National Conventions at the
Hazirat'l-Quds at 2 Lang Rd, and participated in summer and
winter schools at the Yerrinbool Bahá'í School. Meetings were
conducted at "Bidura", Thelma's residence at Bowral
close to the Yerrinbool School, and at her home in Mosman. In
1950 she donated several acres of land to the Yerrinbool Bahá'í
School on the condition that the fact not be publicised and that
the land not be named after her.

Great efforts were being
made at this time to establish Bahá'í communities in the larger
country towns, away from the big city centres were large
communities already existed. Thus, in January 1952 Thelma was in
Ballarat for World Religion Day and in March she and Dulcie Dive
visited Wollongong and secured the Miners' Hall for that
community's holding of feasts and special anniversaries for the
remainder of the year. In 1953, at the close of Australia's six
year plan, Thelma moved temporarily to Grafton in northern New
South Wales, to fulfil her commitment to establishing a locality
there.

Throughout the decade of
the World Crusade (1953-63) Thelma served simultaneoulsy on the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New
Zealand, and as an Auxiliary Board Member to Hand of the Cause
Clara Dunn. She was first elected to the National Assembly in
January 1954 when a by-election was held to replace five members
who had chosen to pioneer in the Pacific; and was appointed an
Auxilary Board Member several months later. At this time the
relationship between elected and appointed institutions was still
evolving, and Clara Dunn appointed Thelma Perks and Collis
Featherstone as her Auxilary Board Members during National
Convention in 1954. After explaining to the assembled delegates
and observers that the Guardian wished her to appoint two
assistants, then placed her hand on the shoulder of Collis
Featherstone who was sitting beside her as chairman and said
"I appoint Collis, and Thelma Perks, standing up the back of
the room!"

From that time forward
Thelma travelled constantly both in Australia and in the Pacific,
visiting Bahá'í communities to encourage them in their work. In
1954 she accompanied Clara in visiting Bahá'í communities in
Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania; and the
following year the two re-visited Victoria and Queensland. In
1955 Thelma visited New Zealand, and late in 1956 she made her
first visits to Noumea, Vila, Papeete, Apia and Suva, before
returning to Sydney via Auckland. No-one was more capable of
raising the spirits of the isolated pioneers, of cheering their
hearts, and comforting them in the midst of their physical
hardships and deprivation. And yet no more incongruous scene can
be imagined than this woman, regal in appearance, gracious in
manner and elegant under all conditions, travelling and living in
circumstances of extreme discomfort and improvisation. No-one
enjoyed this paradox more than Thelma herself.

She later recalled her
first visit to Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Bertha Dobbins who had
settled in Vila in the New Hebrides (now known as Vanuatu). For
ten days in 1956 she sleept on three boxes in a spider and
cockroach infested room beneath swarming mosquitoes, in a
mosquito net full of holes. "Once I got into that bed",
she recalled, "I just lay still. I wouldn't stick my big toe
out for anything!...because the rats were mighty things. Bertha
had slung a wire across the room with a bit of a curtain and the
rats used to walk up and down that wire while you were just
sitting there". Such situations were encountered in many
locations across the next two decades.

In 1957 Thelma attended
the first New Zealand National Convention before moving on to
Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tahiti. While in Fiji visiting
Irene Williams and the Fijian Bahá'ís she stayed overnight in a
traditional village, bathing in a running stream and living on
fish, dalo and rourou - green leaves cooked in coconut milk. In
the evening she joined in traditional dancing and singing until
midnight. She regarded the landscape of Papeete, where Edith
Danielson and Dulcie Dive had settled in Tahiti, as the most
glorious of any natural settings she ever experienced.

It was in 1957 also that
Thelma first visited Alvin and Gertrude Blum in the Solomon
Islands, and Vi Hoehnke and Rodney Hancock in Papua New Guinea. A
trip organised by Rodney Hancock to take Thelma to meet the
Bahá'ís on New Ireland provided yet another tale which she later
enjoyed retelling. In order to make the trip down New Ireland's
only and remote road, Rodney hired a utility on which Thelma rode
in comfort seated on a lounge chair placed on the back. When a
jeep appeared travelling in the other direction and the two
vehicles had to slow to pass each other on the single track, an
Australian man observed Thelma with her white raincoat, red
umbrella, all dressed up for any type of weather, and called out
"My God, what are you doing here?", to which Thelma
replied "Well, I'm staying with friends of mine". He
said his wife was up ahead and that she was welcome to stay with
them, or call on them if she needed help, to which she replied
that she was with her Bahá'í friends and that they were all
brothers and sisters. Many such tales did Thelma have for the
telling.

In 1957 the Auxiliary
Board was expanded. Collis Featherstone was appointed a Hand of
the Cause by Shoghi Effendi, and the two Hands in Australia,
Collis Featherstone and Clara Dunn, appointed as Auxilary Board
members for protection Hugh Blundell in Auckland and Margaret
Rowling in Suva; and as Auxiliary Board members for propagation
Eric Bowes in Adelaide, and Thelma Perks in Sydney. Thus, while
still a member of the Australian National Assembly, Thelma was
occupied throughout Asia and the Pacific as deputy for two Hands
of the Cause. In September 1958 she represented the Auxiliary
Board Members in Australia at the 5th Intercontental Conference
in Singapore.

Within Australia Thelma
continued to travel to various states explaining the plans of the
National Assembly. During 1959-60 she visited more than twenty
Bahá'í communities incities and towns in Western Australia, South
Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the
Australian Capital Territory. In 1961 she visited the Northern
Territory. South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria. While in New
Zealand with Nell McMiles in 1962 Thelma visited nearly all
Bahá'í communities in the country. For many years during the
1950s and 60s she continued to share responsibility for the
National Teaching Committee, the National Reference Library, the
National Haziratu'l-Quds, and for care of Clara Dunn. She shared
responsibility for the events related to the opening of the House
of Worship in Sydney in September 1961.

It was in 1961 that Thelma
first visited Haifa. Clara Dunn had often asked when she was
planning to go, and when she learnt that the Universal House of
Justice was to be elected in 1963, she thought that she should go
before then. She turned to Greta Lake during a National Assembly
meeting and asked "How about going to Haifa?" to which
Greta replied "Alright". Thus Greta and Aub Lake went
on pilgrimage with Thelma in April 1961. When both women were
once again elected to the National Assembly in 1962, Greta turned
to Thelma and said "We'll be going to Haifa for the
International Convention. On route, Thelma visited Vietnam, rode
elephants in Cambodia, and cruised through Greece. In Haifa she
enojyed sharing a room with Bahia Ford, from South Africa.

By the close of the Ten
Year plan Bahá'í communities had been established in many Pacific
Islands, and in many additional centres across Australia and New
Zealand, and the task of establishing and consolidating local and
national assemblies was added to that of expanding the number of
individual believers. During the Nine Year Plan Thelma continued
to serve as an Auxiliary Board Member. In 1964 she attended the
establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Southwest
Pacific in Honiara, Solomon Islands, and visited while on the
same trip the Bahá'ís in Port Moresby, Lae, Madang, Manus and
Rabaul. She continued to travel within Australia, although in
1965 she resigned as chairman of the Temple Services Committee
when the Universal House of Justice decided that Auxiliary Board
Members could no longer also be members of such committees.

In 1968 Thelma was
appointed to the Continental Board of Counsellors for
Australasia, together with Howard Harwood and Suhayl Ala'i. The
Australasian region included Australia and New Zealand plus all
islands in the Indian and Pacific Ocenas lying south of the
equator and betwen longitudes of 80 degrees east and 120 degrees
west including Portuguese Timor and the Gilbert and Ellice
Islands but not including Indonesia. Thelma was trustee of the
Continental Fund.

When addressing Bahá'í
gatherings, Thelma reminded the friends of the responsibilities
and the devoted work of the Hand of the Cause in Australia,
Collis Featherstone. She was able to remind the friends of their
high calling, and enthuse them in the tasks at hand. The words
with which she closed the Australian community's National
Convention in 1970 convey something of the uplifing effect she
had on the community. She commenced by reminding her listeners
that the Dunns were the 'spiritual conquerors of a Continent' and
that Shoghi Effendi had given nobody else this station, and went
on to say "The Guardian used to praise the Australian
Bahá'ís - we must justify his faith and confidence in us ...If
we do not arise to serve, Abdu'l-Bahá says we fall to the rear
in the Army of Life - perhaps go out of the Faith ...There are
many Bahá'ís moving about, footloose and irresponsible. We must
be disciplined people. How are we going to bring in the World
Order of Bahá'u'lláh if the Bahá'í Fiath comes last in our
lives?...Let us have more enthusiasm! We must draw upon each
other. When we think each day of our bounties, it gives us new
life. This Cause can renew every atom of the body...Call on us
(the Counsellors) to help you to serve."

Thelma was loved and
respected by the Australian Bahá'í community because she led by
example. Although now weighed heavily with responsibilities as
Counsellor, Thelma continued to travel throughout Australia and
the Pacific. In 1971 she was accompanied by Nell McMiles to the
Oceanic Conference in Sapporo, Japan. Soon after their
appointment, the Counsellors arranged in conjunction with the
National Assembly a conference in Melbourne to mark the 150th
anniversary of birth of Bab. It was Thelma's privilege to
introduce to the conference Hands of the Cause Mr Faizi and Mr
Collis Featherstone.

The Counsellors organised
other major conferences, including one immediately following
annual convention in Melbourne in 1974 to mark the commencement
of the Five Year Plan, attended by Hand of the Cause Dr Muhajir,
and some 500 participants. In October 1974 the counsellors
organised a conference in Sydney to coincide with the 155th
anniversary of the Birth of the Bab, which was attended by 200
Bahá'ís. Thelma closed the conference by saying:

the five year plan
has something personal about it - it touches our hearts.
Self-sacrifice is at the core of everything - sacrifice
of our time, energy and resources. This is the challenge
of each one of us. We have the inspiration of the
pioneers that have gone out. Each one can do something,
according to our capacity.

Early in 1974 the
Counsellors met in Noumea, then visited the New Hebrides, then
Thelma and Vi also visited the Solomons. About 60 islanders
became Bahá'ís during a week-end conference held there. They
then moved on to Papua New Guinea. In July 1975 Thelma and Howard
Harwood consulted with the National Assembly on such issues as
international teaching projects, Overseas and homefront
pioneering and travel teaching, community deepening, conferences
and other major events in the national plans.

The Counsellors convened a
conference in Melbourne with the theme "Our spiritual
strength in a declining world", which was attended by 278
Bahá'ís. There were addresses by Hand of the Cause Collis
Featherstone, and Counsellors Ala'i and Hoehnke among others, and
Thelma closed the conference with the announcement of the
appointment of several assistants to the Auxiliary Board. In
January 1977 all the Counsellors of the Australasian Board
attended the Sixth International Teaching Conference, held in
Auckland New Zealand.

Thelma's retirement from
the Continental Board of Counsellors was announced in the
Universal House of Justice's letter of 3 November 1980. Vi
Hoehnke and Howard Harwood were retired at the same time. Thelma
spent her years of retirement in her Mosman home, and continued
to visit the House of Worship and participate in Bahá'í
activities in the Sydney area. She was thrilled in her later
years by the declaration of her niece, Annette Sherringham.
Thelma retained her dignified bearing and cheerful nature in her
final years, even though hampered in her movements and activities
by a paralysing stroke. She will be remembered as a pure soul,
and a gracious lady. She set a high standard for the learned in
Abha. Following her passing, the Universal House of Justice
cabled:

WE ARE DEEPLY
GRIEVED TO LEARN OF THE PASSING OF DEAR THELMA PERKS
WHOSE OUTSTANDING SERVICES FOR THE PROMOTION OF THE FAITH
IN AUSTRALASIA WILL LONG BE REMEMBERED HER LOVING CARE OF
HAND OF THE CAUSE CLARA DUNN HER DISTINGUISHED WORK AS A
MEMBER OF THE FIRST CONTINGENT OF AUXILIARY BOARD MEMBERS
FOLLOWED LATER BY HER APPOINTMENT AS A MEMBER OF THE
FIRST BOARD OF COUNSELLORS IN AUSTRALASIA TOGETHER WITH
HER MANY YEARS OF SERVICE AS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL
SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF AUSTRALIA STAND AS SOME OF THE
HIGHLIGHTS OF HER DEVOTED LABORS PRAYERS ARE BEING
OFFERED IN THE HOLY SHRINES FOR THE PROGRESS OF HER SOUL
IN THE ABHA KINGDOM ADVISE HOLD A BEFITTING MEMORIAL
SERVICE IN HER HONOUR IN THE MASHRIQULADHKAR A SIMILAR
SERVICE IS BEING REQUESTED IN SAMOA

ENDNOTES

Note: Footnote numbers have been lost in this online version.

1. Interview, 1982.

2. Interview 1 August 1981.
Thelma's membership card was forwarded to the NSA 21 January
1947. 0268/0070.

3. (Annual Report of the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New
Zealand Bahá'í Year 108, 11.)

4. Thelma made two
teaching trips to the South Island of New Zealand in 1959.
"The visit of Miss Thelma Perks during February and March
was much appreciated. In her quiet way of visiting interested
non-Bahá'ís and obtaining good press publicity for the Faith
and its objectives, Miss Perks' visit was of inestimable value.
She contacted the press in Christchurch, Oamaru, Dunedin,
Wellington, New Plymouth, Hamilton and Auckland. Annual Reports
Bahá'í Year 113 (1956-1957), 4.

5. Interview, 7 August
1981. In 1955 Thelma tried to contact an Aneityum Islander who
was studying at a Presbyterian Theological College in Sydney to
do translation into Aneityum (Annual Reports - 112 (1955-1956),
9.

6. "Thelma joined in
very spiritedly with the simple village dances and really seemed
to be enjoying herself." Irene Jackson to Asian Teaching
Committee 30 June 1957. 0133/0036.

7. In 1958 Thelma visited
throughout NSW & QLD

8. In 1960 year she
visited Queensland. (Annual Report Bahá'í Year 117 [1960-61],
10.

9. In 1959-61 Thelma was
on the National Teaching Committee. In 1948,51,52, 53, 1959
Thelma was on Reference Library Committee; 1948,1951,52,1953 on
National House Committee. 1960 Thelma was appointed with Greta
Lake to look after Clara Dunn and her flat at Lang Road. Annual
Report Bahá'í Year 117 (1960-61), 2.

10. Bahá'í Bulletin
121, September 1964, 7.

11. Bahá'í Bulletin
133, September 1965, 11. In 1965 the National Teaching Committee
placed on record its thanks for the work Thelma achieved in her
capacity as Auxiliary Board Member: Bahá'í Bulletin 129,
May 1965, 13. During 1965 Thelma visited Cowra, Parkes, Grenfell
in September; Tasmania in November; and Melbourne and Ballarat in
December. In February 1966 she visited Lismore, Tamworth and
Newcastle: Bahá'í Bulletin 135, November 1965, 3. In
January 1965 Thelma attended summer school and gave firesides at
the Temple. In April she visited Warringah for the feast of Jalal
and "gave an inspiring talk on the Nine year Plan, and the
privileges given to Bahá'ís to help in the fulfillment of this
mighty task": Bahá'í Bulletin 130, June 1965, 13.
In 1966 Thelma visited PNG: Bahá'í Bulletin 148,
December 1966, 10. November 1967 Thelma spoke at State public
meeting in Sydney.

12. Bahá'í Bulletin
171, November 68, 6.

13. Eg, Bahá'í Bulletin
167 July 68, 14: Thelma read cable from HCF at convention, and
"reminded the friends of the responsibilities and devoted
work of the Hand of the Cause for Australasia and of the loving
esteem in which he was held. On the aspect of teaching she
accented the task of gaining another 30 LSAs in 60 months, an
average of one LSA every two months. She felt that a greater
sense of unity was required in our community. She also dwelt on
the responsibility of the delegates present and hoped that
everyone would be enthused to great heights of endeavour during
the subsequent days of consultation."

14. Bahá'í Bulletin
189, May 1970, 12.

15. 176 April 69, 9 Thelma
visited Canberra. Bahá'í Bulletin 192 August 1970. Thelma and
Howard Harwood spent the weekend of 1-2 August with 13 Bahá'ís
of Southeast Queensland to discuss future goals and plans.

Consulted with NSA at
December 1970 meeting. At 1971 convention she read greetings from
Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone and spoke on the
Continental fund. 1971 commenced a series of deepenings in her
home on Saturday afternoons: Australian Bahá'í Bulletin
202, June 1971, 8. November 1971 Thelma was in Hobart, Tasmania,
where she celebrated the Day of the Covenant, and spoke on
several other occasions of Clara Dunn's meeting with
Abdu'l-Bahá, and told of the life of Abdu'l-Bahá: Australian
Bahá'í Bulletin 209, January 1972, 14.

.. Bahá'í Bulletin, 179
July 69, 2

.. Bahá'í Bulletin, 184
Dec 69, 4 Thelma told the friends how fortunate they were to be
living in the time of the Hands of the Cause. Future generations
will only be able to read about them.

.. Australian Bahá'í
Bulletin 235, October 1974, 8. In January 1972 Thelma spoke
at Summer School on the Institution of the Continental Board of
Counsellors: Australian Bahá'í Bulletin 209, January
1972, 8-9; and attended the Canberra Youth Conference, which was
attended by Hands of the Cause John Robarts and Collis
Featherstone. In 1973 she opened a Bahá'í information centre in
Newcastle, and received radio, press and television coverage, two
weeks before participating in consultations in Haifa at the time
of the third election of the Universal House of Justice, then
visited Europe: Australian Bahá'í Bulletin 222 April
1973, 8; 223, May 1973, 4, 8.

.. Australian Bahá'í
Bulletin 231, April 1974, 3.

.. Australian Bahá'í
Bulletin 242, August 1975, 7. In 1974 Thelma read Hand of the
Cause Collis Featherstone's message to the opening of the new
Haziratu'l-Quds in the Temple grounds, Sydney. In February 1976
Thelma attended a NSW conference with 120 adults attending. In
October Thelma attended a seminar on "Teaching the
Aborigines" in Perth: Australian Bahá'í Bulletin
257, December 1976, 11. In November Thelma attended an Auxiliary
Board Member's conference at the University of NSW on the theme
"Gift of God" and gave an inspiring talk on the heroic
figures of the Faith: Australian Bahá'í Bulletin 259,
February 1977, 13.

.. Australian Bahá'í
Bulletin 246, December/January 1976, 2.

.. Late in 1977 Thelma
present at an RGC Meeting for Sydney, hunter and Manning: Australian
Bahá'í Bulletin 266, September 1977, 15. In August and
September 1977 the Counsellors hosted "Covenant
Institutes" in each state.

.. Australian Bahá'í
Bulletin 300, December 1980, 3.

.. In February 1978 spoke
at Persian Conference in Sydney: Australian Bahá'í Bulletin
273, April/May 1978, 12. Spoke at National Teaching Conference
September in Lane Cove National Park: Australian Bahá'í
Bulletin 277, September 1978, 2. In September 1981 Thelma
joined Merle and Jim Heggie, and Jeff Rodwell, in speaking of the
early years of the Australian Bahá'í community at celebrations
commemorating the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the House
of Worship: Australian Bahá'í Bulletin 308, November
1981, 3.

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