she had been introduced to the Faith byMashid
Taheri and had become a Baha’i after several
months of studying the Faith and attending
Firesides.
She invitedme toafiresideand I agreed togoas I
had come toknow someofherBaha’i friends and
thought theywere “nice”people. Thefiresidewas
at the home ofMargaretMangan inNedlands, a
suburbofPerth,WesternAustralia.
Iwas initially abit overwhelmedby thegathering
especially when someone gaveme a prayer book
and asked me to read a prayer. Despite having
gone to mandatory weekly church services in
high school I had never really prayed before in
my life so thiswas an alien concept! I remember
the prayer to this day; it’s the one that begins
“Create inmeapureheartOMyGodand renewa
tranquil consciencewithinmeOMyHope….”and
I rememberbeingquitestruckby thewordsof the
prayer.
I can’t remember much of what happened after
thefireside began exceptwhen this young skinny
guy with a big grin and crooked teeth got out
his guitar and began to play and sing loudly and
enthusiastically. I thought;ohMyGod,whathave
I gottenmyself into!? That young skinnyguywas
GregParker. Whilst the songswerehokey (itwas
the 70s!) therewas nodoubting the sincerity and
earnestness of the singer and the way he spoke
about theFaith.
Greg was the sort of person I probably would
never have come across in the social circles I
moved inat the time;my initial impressionwasof
this authentically “Aussiebluecollar”guywhomy
motherwouldhavesaidwasa“littlerougharound
theedges”.
Hewasacrazyandsomewhat reckless (back then)
driver of a big old dark blue stationwagon and I
was to get to know that car very well as I ended
up travelling in it with a small band of valiant
Baha’i youth for over 2,000miles acrossAustralia
to Sydney and then onto Canberra for the 1975
National Baha’i Youth Conference. I came to
know Greg well through the long miles of that
journey and in subsequent years and to recognize
that hewas personof keen intelligence, “smart as
awhip”, he readavidly, knew theBiblewell, could
ImetGregatmyfirstBaha’iFireside.
MysisterGeorgiehadbecomeaBaha’i
ayearearlier;
quotechapterandverseand runcircles roundany
Christian who wanted to use the Bible to argue
against theBaha’i teachings.
In1976ImovedfromPerthtoSydney,subsequently
married Tom Price and had 4 children. Over the
next 10 years I did not see a lot of Greg but in
1986 Greg and Malini stayed with Tom and me
in Sydney to participate in a Peace Festival being
sponsored by the Baha’i community in Sydney.
Theymarried later thatyear, and Ihavealways felt
aclosekinshipdespite littlecontactover theyears
and huge geographic separation that I was there
and observed the very beginnings of what was to
be awonderfulmarriage of two souls united and
dedicated to serving theFaith together.
Ononeofmy tripsback toAustraliaGeorgieand I
visitedwithGregandMalini inAlbanywhere they
were living at the time. Itwaswonderful tohave
the opportunity to spend some time with them
and catchupon their lives. On that same tripmy
sistergavemea special giftwhich I treasureand is
displayed inmyhouse; it is twopieces ofMalini’s
artwork. Thepiecesareher “vision”of theStirling
Mountains in the south of Western Australia
where I grewup…and I see themeverydayand it
remindsmeofhomeandGregandMalini.
I knowGreg andMalini have had struggles and
challenging tests over the years not the least of
which I’m sure has been Greg’s on-going battle
withcancer; but theyhaveenduredandarea true
testament to theprinciple thatonly through trials
anddifficultiesdowe trulygrow spiritually.
On my last visit to Perth I was so grateful that
Greg came to visitme at Georgie’s house andwe
got to spend some time togetheras Iknowhewas
counting the remaining years of his life in this
world insingledigits. At the timehewasplanning
on climbing Bluff Knoll, the highest peak in the
StirlingMountains and seeing his determination
I hadnodoubt hewould accomplish this…and so
hedid!!
TowatchGregover theyearsusehis considerable
musical ability, mostly self-taught, through
conductingchoirsandholding largechoral events
to bring attention to the Baha’i teachings; to see
whathehas accomplished inhis life is amazing to
me as I remember back to that young skinny guy
playing his guitar and singing hokey Baha’i songs
atmyfirstfireside. I countmyself trulyblessed to
knowhim!
LishyPrice
