MAGIC
MOMENTS
MILLIONS of people will
remember the shining pride in Cecilia Barber's smile as she
watched her daughter, the star Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman,
sprint to victory in the 400m final of the 2000 Olympics in
Sydney.
But the highlight of Cecilia's
own life was visiting the international Baha'i centre in 1992,
to observe the centenary of the passing of Baha'u'llah.
"I felt like I was
in heaven, surrounded by Baha'is from all over the world -
I experienced such feelings of love and friendship there,
and made so many warm and wonderful friends. And for a while
I didn't even worry about my children and grandchildren back
in Australia," she says, laughing.
Cecilia was born into the
Catholic faith. Her own mother was the child of an Aboriginal
woman and a European man, and - like thousands of other light-skinned
indigenous children - was part of the "stolen generation".
"My mother was taken
to a Catholic mission on Palm Island, which is off the coast
of north-east Australia. She never spoke to us, her children,
about her life there, but it was terribly hard for them all,"
says Cecilia.
While the missions had "good
intentions", Cecilia says indigenous Australians found
many of their practices to be patronising.
"We would go to Mass
on a Sunday, and all the white people would sit at the front
of the church, and the black people would be at the back,"
she says.
In 1978, Cecilia heard about
the Baha'i Faith. Baha'u'llah's teachings on the equality
of men and women, and his discouragement of racial prejudice,
impressed Cecilia immensely.
"What I like is that
it's put into practice; it's more than words," she says.
"Here in Australia the national Baha'i council has an
Aboriginal advisory group, to provide guidance on the kinds
of protocols you need to observe if you're visiting Aboriginal
people or talking to them about the Baha'i
Faith. This is a sign of respect."
She spent three years learning
about Baha'u'llah's teachings before she felt ready to commit
to a new religion.
"The day I became a
Baha'i, I was pregnant with Cathy - and the first thing I
did was to say some prayers for this unborn child. What's
strange is that as I was praying, I felt her move - and she
was restless from that day on."There's no way of knowing
for sure, but I'm convinced she was touched by these
prayers and that's why she's so special. She's brought our
family so much joy."
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