- 1954-04-30 —
The. seventh Canadian Bahá'í National Convention was held at Victoria Hall, Westmount, Montreal. followed by a Teaching Conference held Sunday, May 2nd in the Assembly Hall of the YMCA across the street. The following were elected to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly: Lloyd Gardner (chair), Allan Raynor, (vice), Audrey Westheuser (sec'y), Peggy Ross, (treasurer), Rolland Estall, Angus Cowan, Winnifred Harvey, Donald MacLaren, Albert Rakovsky. [CBN No 53 June 1954 p3; CBN No 54 July 1954 p1]
- On Saturday afternoon, May 1st, the delegates and friends gathered at Victoria Hall in Westmount for a brief commemoration and prayers. [CBN No 63 April 1955, Insert p4]
- A memorial service for Marion
Jack, the beloved Canadian pioneer to
Sofia, Bulgaria, was held. Miss Jack
was born in St. John, N .B. As an artist,
as well as a believer, she was invited to
Haifa to paint many of the scenes there.
She was in Bulgaria during the war and
suffered greatly. Because of this, the
Guardian invited her to leave and return
to Haifa. She decided, however, to remain,
even though the difficulties were
great, and stayed at her post until her
passing March 27, 1954. She is interred
in the British Cemetery in Sofia. [CBN No54 Jul 1954 p1]
- Polly Pollexfen, Ethel Martens and Hart Bowsfield were injured in a motor vehicle accident while travelling from Winnipeg to the National Convention in Montreal. It was a serious accident and recovery was slow. [CBN No57 Oct 1957 p2]
- 1955-04-29 —
The National Convention was held in Toronto with the meetings and the Public Congress held in the King Edward Hotel. Elected were: Lloyd Gardner (chair), Allan Raynor (vice-chair), Audrey Westheuser (secretary), Peggy Ross (treasurer), Rowland Estall, Angus Cowan, Winnifred Harvey, Donald MacLaren, Albert Rakovsky. [CBN No 65 June 1955 p4]
- List of delegates. [CBN No 62 March, 1955 p1]
- On May 1st the friends shared in a Memorial Service for Marion Jack. The delegates and other believers gathered in Victoria Hall in Westmount for a brief commemoration and prayers in advance of the main Memorial Service at the Temple. [CBN No 62 March, 1955 from the 4-page insert]
- The Guardian's message to the National Convention dated 17 April 1954 was distributed as an insert to CBN No 54 Jun 1954. The message list recent accomplishments.
- See the National Convention report, the Guardian's supplementary message to the Convention and a letter, Progress at the World Centre from the International Bahá'i Council. [CBN No65 Jun 1955 p4]
- 1955-04-30 — During the lunch break at the National Convention on Saturday several members
of the Assembly visited a property
in the St. Clair Avenue district and announced
that they had made arrangements
to sign an offer to purchase, for
the purpose of a Haziratu'l-Quds,
provided zoning regulations were met.
The chairman of the Hazira and
Temple Grounds Committee, Mr. Allan
Raynor, also announced that negotiations
were pending with regard to a 7 acre
piece of property within 9 miles of the
heart of Toronto as a Temple site. It is
situated on Highway 401. [CBN N065 Jun 1955 p5]
- 1955-12-00 — National Spiritual Assembly member Allan Raynor went on pilgrimage. Upon his return to Canada, he travelled across the country sharing his pilgrimage and stressing the importance of the Guardianship and firmness in the Bahá'í Covenant. [UC58]
- 1956-04-27 —
The 9th National Convention was held in the King Edward Hotel and was attended by over 100 delegates and friends. Those elected were: Audrey Westheuser, (sec'y) Peggy Ross, (treasurer) Winnifred Harvey, Lloyd Gardner, (chair) Don MacLaren, Angus Cowan, Rowland Estall, Allan Raynor, (vice) and Hart Bowsfield.
- It was announced that Canada's National Endowment had been secured, a beautiful piece of property on the Niagara River in the shadow of Queenston Heights. It had been donated by one of the friends.
- The Public Congress was held in the Royal Ontario Museum Theatre on the evening of Saturday the 28th of April. Over 300 attended. [CBN No 77 June 1956 p2]
- It was learned that Canada's National Endowment had been secured, a beautiful piece of property on the Niagara River in the
shadow of Queenston Heights, which had been donated by one of the friends. [CBN No 77 June 1956 p2]
- 1956-07-28 — The Laurentian Summer School was held in two sessions, 21-28 July and 28 July to the 5th of August. The presenters were: Dr Genevieve Coy spoke on "The Reality of Man", Mehdi Firoozi told stories on the Dawnbreakers and the Hands of the Cause, Ruth Moffet gave her course on the "Spiritual Crusade" and Winnifred Harvey took the theme "Tools of Living", Audrey Westheuser gave a course on Faith in Action and Allan Raynor on "Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant and our Relationship to It". [CBN No 81 October 1956 p2]
- 1957-04-26 —
The National Convention was held at the new Haziratu'l-Quds at 274 Huron Street. It was attended by about 100 visitors as well as seventeen delegates who voted in person and two who voted by mail. Those elected were: Hart Bowsfield, Peggy Ross, Winnifred Harvey, Audrey Westheuser, Allan Raynor, Lloyd Gardner, Rowland Estall, Fred Graham, and Harold Moscrop.
- The Public Congress was held in the Royal Ontario Museum Theatre. About 300 persons attended. [CBN No 89 June, 1957 p3-4]
- Photo.
- There were 17 Local Spiritual Assemblies in Canada at this point, a drop from 19 two years earlier. [Bloodworth, Grains of Wheat p20]
- 1958-04-29 —
The National Convention was held at the Westbury Hotel, 475 Yonge Street in Toronto. Those elected to the National Assembly were: Hart Bowesfield, Peggy Ross, (sec'y), Winnifred Harvey, Audrey Westheuser, Allan Raynor, Lloyd Gardner, Rowland Estall, Fred Graham, and Harold Moscrop (tres). [CBN No 99 115 April, 1958 p1; CBN No 101 June 1958 p3]
- See [CBN No 101 June 1958, Special Insert] for the Message from the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land to the National Convention.
- 1959-04-24 —
The National Convention was held at the Westbury Hotel in Toronto. Those elected were: Lloyd Gardner, Rowland Estall, Hart Bowsfield, Winnifred Harvey, Audrey Westheuser, Harold Moscrop, (tres.) Peggy Ross, (sec'y) and Allan Raynor.
- For a list of delegates to the 12th National Convention see [CBN No 110 March 1959 p2].
- For the message from the Hands to the Convention see [CBN No 113 June 1959 p1-6].
- 1979-09-25 —
The passing of Allan Raynor (b. 31 August, 1910 in Toronto)
- His first acquaintance with Baha'is was in 1934 at a gathering organized by W. J. Christie of Parry Sound in northern Ontario. It was there that he met Lloyd Gardner.
- He went on pilgrimage in 1956. After the passing of the Guardian he travelled across Canada sharing his experiences with Shoghi Effendi.
- Mr. Raynor will be remembered for his work in educating the Canadian Bahá'í community in the knowledge of the Covenant. When the assaults on the Covenant came Canadian Bahá'ís were not swayed.
- His study of Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah was legendary. His personal copy could not be called a "book" but rather it was a loose collection of pages.
- In 1978-1979 he was appointmented as Assistant to Auxiliary Board Member for Protection, Carol Bowie.
- So moving and eloquent was he at the hour of his death that Canada's national newspaper printed a major article on his life.
- A tribute to Allan was made by Roger White in his poem entitled 'In Recognition' which was published in his book, The Witness of Pebbles. The poem was inspired during Allan's 1977 pilgrimage. Another writer, Nathan Rutsein paid homage by including a chapter called 'The Example of Allan Raynor' in his book, Spirit in Action: Teaching the Bahá'í Faith.
[BW18p696-698]
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