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The first native Shetlander to
join the Bahá’í community, Lilian McKay, has passed away
at the age of 75. Lilian was attracted to the Bahá’í teachings
by Brigitte Hasselblatt, an Estonian nurse, who first travelled
to Shetland in 1953.
Lilian became a Bahá’í in 1956
at the first Bahá’í residential weekend gathering to be
held in Shetland. Brigitte left in the autumn of 1959 and
for three years Lilian was the only Bahá’í on Shetland.
She was greatly heartened when in early 1963, fellow Shetlanders
Charles and Lottie Duncan joined her and a small Bahá’í
community was born. In 1972, the first local Bahá’í governing
council was formed in Shetland, of which Lilian was a member.
She served on it for more than 20 years. In 2003 she was
able to participate in Shetland’s Bahá’í Golden Jubilee
celebrations held in Lerwick Town Hall – an event that brought
great joy to her, heightened by a reunion with Brigitte
who returned from Estonia for the celebrations. Lilian’s
independence of mind, adventurous spirit and love of things
new were all qualities that combined to give her the courage
to break with tradition and take the bold step of becoming
the first native Bahá’í in all of the Scottish islands.
RW
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