The National Spiritual Assembly of the Dominion of Canada was established. [BBRSM:186; BW13:856; MBW143; PP397]
• See BW11:160, 184 for pictures.
• The first National Convention was held in the Maxwell's home (in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's home as will be the election of the Universal House of Justice some 15 years hence.) with 13/19 delegates from all the provinces attending. (Six were unable to attend due to a flood.) Those elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly were: Laura Davis, Rowland Estall, Lloyd Gardner, Doris Richardson, John Robarts, Emeric Sala, Rosemary Sala, Siegfried Schopflocher, and Ross Woodman. [TG110, OBCC269]
• For a picture of the first Canadian National Spiritual Assembly see OBCC148.

The formation of a Bahá'í Youth Group in Montreal, perhaps the first in the Western World. [OBCC78, 85]
• Some of the members were: Mary Maxwell, George Spendlove, Rowland Estall, Emeric Sala, Mary Gillis, (later Rosemary Sala), Teddy Edwards Alizade, Norman McGregor, Judie Russell Blakely, Dorothy and Glen Wade, Edward Dewing, Gerrard Sluter, David Hofman, Rena Gordon and Eddie Elliot.
• The Bahá'í youth group was a social club organized by Ruhiyyih Khanum called the "Fratority Club." By this word, Ruhiyyih Khanum meant to put together the words "fraternity" and "sorority" and had invited to belong to it people, mostly young students at McGill, who would otherwise not have been able to find membership in the exclusive fraternities and sororities around the campus. [Black Roses in Canada's Mosaic: Four Decades of Black History by Will C. van den Hoonaard and Lynn Echevarria-Howe]
• When advised of the formation of this group Shoghi Effendi replied, in part
  ...I urge them to study profoundly the revealed utterances of Bahá'u'lláh and the discourses of Àbdu'l-Bahá and not to rely unduly on the representations and interpretation of the Teaching given by the Bahá'í speakers and teachers. [MtC30-31]
• A Bahá'í youth group had been started in California in 1912, but the Montreal group was the first in North America to systematically study the Teachings—an exercise that had a long—lasting influence on the development and growth of the Bahá'í community in Canada and elsewhere. Members of the group would later distinguish themselves as some of the best-known teachers, administrators, pioneers, and writers of the Bahá'í Faith. [BWM46]

Willard and Doris McKay , then living in Geneva, NY, arrived in Montreal, the last stop on their first major teaching trip. They had visited Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Boston, Portsmouth, NH before arriving in Montreal by train.
• They were guests of the Maxwells for a week and spoke seven times during their visit.
• During their time there they were dinner guest of Ernest Harrison and his family. Years later Ernest, then separated from his wife, would be a pioneer to Prince Edward Island.
• They met Mary's "Youth Group", the second formed in North America and the first to be dedicated to a deeper understanding of the Writings. Many were students at McGill where Mary was taking special classes and others were Eddie Elliot, an electrician who had been raised in the Maxwell house (son of the maid), Emeric Sala, Roland Estall, Rosemary Gillis (later Rosemary Sala).
• During their time there they slept in the bed of 'Abdu'l-Bahá that May covered with "the Robe of Bounty". It was a gown that had belonged to the Greatest Holy Leaf and had been given to Lua Getsinger and Lua had given it to May. [FMH97-102]

They remained there until 1939 when the couple pioneered to Venezuela. [OBCC82]

The varied program provided daily talks and discussions based on the outline 'Deepening the Spiritual Life'; study of the first part of 'The Promised Day Is Come' (led by Miss Winnifred Harvey); separate talks on 'Bahá'í Administration' (Siegfried Schopflocher, Ragnar Mattson, and Lou Boudler); 'Bahá'í Attitude towards Christianity' (Mrs. Agnes King); and 'Post-War Reconstruction' (John De Mille). Lorol Schopflocher contributed an account of her journeys to Central America and the British West Indies, and Emeric and Rosemary Sala gave us stories of their experiences in Venezuela and Columbia. [OBCC268; BW9:28; TG84; BN No 149 December 1941 p5]

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Dominion of Canada was established. [BBRSM:186; BW13:856; MBW143; PP397; BW11p20]
• It was attended by 112 Bahá'ís, 19 of them delegates. The country-wide membership was less than 500. [BC Vol 9 No 8 October 1987 p17]
• Those elected were: John Robarts (chair), Emeric Sala (vice), Laura Davis (sec'y), Siegfried Schopflocher (tres), Rowland Estall, Lloyd Gardner, Ross Woodman, Rosemary Sala, and Doris Richardson. [BN No 207 May 1948 105BE p3]
• See BW11:160, 184, Bahá'í Historical Facts for pictures.
• The first National Convention was held in the Maxwell home (in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's home as will be the election of the Universal House of Justice some 15 years hence.) with 13/19 delegates from all the provinces attending. (Six were unable to attend due to a flood.) Those elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly were: Laura Davis, Rowland Estall, Lloyd Gardner, Doris Richardson, John Robarts, Emeric Sala, Rosemary Sala, Siegfried Schopflocher, and Ross Woodman. [TG110, OBCC269-272]
• For a picture of the first Canadian National Spiritual Assembly see OBCC148.
• For Ruhiyyíh Khanum's Message to the first Canadian Convention see BN212 October 1948 pg2-t and Part II of the same address can be found at BN213 Novembe3r 1948 pg10-11.

The third National Convention was held in Toronto at 22 College Street with 19 delegates and a total of 125 in attendance. Those elected to the National Assembly were: Rowland Estall, (vice-chair) John Robarts, (chair), Emeric Sala, Ross Woodman; Laura Davis, (secretary), Winnifred Harvey, Freddie Schopflocher, (treasurer) Mae McKenna and Rosemary Sala. [CBN No 13 May 1950 p2-3]
• The budget for the year 107 B. E. was $19,000. [CBN No 14 July 1950 p2]
• All 19 delegates were present. [CBN 13 May 1950 p3]

Canada's fourth National Convention was held in the Vancouver Hotel. Those elected were; John Robarts (chair), Rowland Estall (vice-chair) Laura Davis (secretary), Emeric Sala (treasurer) Rosemary Sala, Lloyd Gardner, Mae McKenna, Winnifred Harvey, and Siegfried Schopflocher.
• For a list of delegates (18) see CBN No 18 Mar 1951 p2. For the agenda see CBN No 19 April 1951 p10-11.
• Amelia Collins attended the Convention and gave the Canadian Bahá'í Community a lock of hair of Bahá'u'lláh as a gift from Shoghi Effendi. In addition, she gave a piece of Burmese alabaster from the Tomb of the Báb, These precious relics were placed in the Maxwell home archives in Montreal. [UC31]

The sixth National Convention took place in the Unitarian Church of Forest Hill Village and was attended by sixteen delegates as well as over 100 visitors. Elected were: John Robarts, (chairman), Lloyd Gardner, (treasurer), Rowland Estall, (vice chair), Laura Davis, (secretary), Winnifred Harvey, Emeric Sala, Rosemary Sala, Albert Rakovsky and Audrey Westhaeser. [CBN No 41 June, 1953 p2]
• This convention marked the end of the Five Year Plan that had been given to Canada in 1948 upon the formation of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Rosemary and Emeric Sala departed for their pioneer post in Africa via Cardiff, Wales, Oxford England, and Esslingen, Germany. In Europe they boarded the Kenya Castle and made a stop in Cairo before arriving in Mombassa and taking the train to Nairobi and back. They obtained visas for entry in South Africa in Mozambique, traveled to Durban by bus and then took a bus for the 90 some miles to their destination in Eshowe. [TG122-126]
• See Rosemary's letter CBN No59 Dec 1954 p1.

The passing of Rosemary Sala (b. Mary Gillies Glasgow, Scotland 1906) at her pioneer post in Guadalajara, Mexico. She was a member of the Montreal Youth Group in the early years of the Faith and a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Canada as well as the Regional Assembly of South and West Africa. She and her husband Emeric pioneered to South Africa, Venezuela and Mexico and travelled throughout America, China, India and Europe. [TG211; Bahá'ís of Canada; BW18 p713]
• See her essay Beyond the Fog in World Order Vol2 Issue 2 p458-461.
• Her biography and that of her husband Emeric, Tending the Garden was written by her niece Ilona Sala Weinstein and published by One Voice Press, Essex, MD. This publication is also available in the e-book format.