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A life in pursuit of noble endeavors
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea, 29 June 2004 (BWNS) -- After Violet Hoehnke
introduced the Baha'i Faith to Papua New Guinea in 1954, she climbed steep
mountains, drove along tortuous roads, and sailed through sometimes stormy
seas to bring the teachings of Baha'u'llah to the local people.

By accepting the people's invitations to spend the night in their often
humble
dwellings -- a practice rare for Europeans there in the 1950s -- Violet
Hoehnke demonstrated her commitment to the principle of the oneness of
humanity, and she won the hearts of her hosts.

When she died, aged 87, on 4 June 2004, the Baha'i community of Papua New
Guinea had grown from a solitary individual half a century ago to include 252
Local Spiritual Assemblies and thousands of Baha'is living in more than 3000
villages and towns in every province of the country.

"What seemed at first an enormous challenge, has now become a reality," Ms.
Hoehnke wrote in a short autobiography penned in 1997.

"It is the responsibility of every Baha'i, wherever they reside and whoever
they may be, to share these teachings of unity with everyone they meet so
that
peace may come to Papua New Guinea and the world," she wrote.

Although for health reasons Ms. Hoehnke (pronounced Hern-kee) could not
attend
the national convention of the Faith here in April, she conveyed by telephone
a loving message to the delegates and observers, who were planning the
ongoing
development of the vibrant Papua New Guinea community she had initiated.

Violet Hoehnke, who had remained at her pioneering post for 50 years, passed
away less than two months after that message.

Following a funeral service attended by hundreds of Baha'i and members of
other religions, she was laid to rest in the first grave in a new Baha'i
cemetery on a hillside outside Port Moresby.

A trained nurse who was widely known as "Sister Vi," Ms. Hoehnke was the
matron of the first integrated hospital in the country. She maintained
impeccable standards in her hospitals.

Her steadfast adherence to the injunctions of her Faith to love all humanity,
and her humility, made her a beloved figure -- for example, she had many
friends among the clergy of other faiths.

Throughout the decades she wrote countless encouraging letters to hundreds of
Baha'is and other friends, some of whom later became prominent leaders in the
country. In 1975 she became a citizen of the newly independent country.

Violet Hoehnke, born in Australia, became a Baha'i aged 23 after being
introduced to the Faith by a Scottish migrant, Jim Heggie, and then hearing
more from the first Australian Baha'i, Oswald Whittaker, and three believers
who were later designated as Hands of the Cause: Martha Root, John Henry Hyde
Dunn, and Clara Dunn.

Her nursing qualifications enabled her to quickly answer a call to take the
Faith to the Admiralty Islands, now Manus Province in Papua New Guinea.

Her arrival fulfilled a goal of a ten-year plan to spread the Baha'i
teachings
worldwide.

For this service, the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, bestowed upon
her the accolade of Knight of Baha'u'llah.

Ms. Hoehnke invited local people to her home in the Admiralty Islands and
held
first aid classes for them, which prompted criticism from members of the
European community, who practiced racial segregation.

The hospital authorities sent her away to Rabaul on the island of New
Britain.

Although seemingly a setback, it turned out to be fortunate because she met
up
with the only other Baha'i in Papua New Guinea, Rodney Hancock, a 21-year-old
New Zealander who had arrived in the region some three months after her.

In 1956, after being introduced to the Baha'i Faith by Ms. Hoehnke and Mr.
Hancock, a teacher on Manus Island, Apelis Mazakmat became the first Papua
New
Guinean Baha'i.

In the subsequent years, as thousands entered the Faith, more than 150
Baha'is
from other countries came to Papua New Guinea to assist the local Baha'is as
they administered and developed their national community.

In 1973 Ms. Hoehnke was appointed a member of the Continental Board of
Counsellors and it was in that role that she visited, guided, and encouraged
many Baha'i communities in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere in the Pacific
Ocean. She served in that capacity for seven years.

After she retired, she lived in Mount Hagen in the highlands and continued to
nurture Baha'is. Her home there was always open to the community.

She donated the proceeds from her former home in Lae and her most recent
house
in Port Moresby to the Baha'i community.

Even in latter years, when her eyesight had failed and she was confined to
bed, she followed the guidance of the Universal House of Justice to the
Baha'is of the world to participate in capacity-building study circles.

The Universal House of Justice sent a message of condolence to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Papua New Guinea.

It said that Ms. Hoehnke's record of accomplishment included "dedicating
herself totally to the advancement of the Cause of Baha'u'llah and
demonstrating an exemplary willingness to undergo hardship in the pursuit of
her noble endeavors."

"Throughout these years, she became known far and wide for the genuine love
and respect she offered to the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea," the
message said.

The Universal House of Justice asked for memorial gatherings to be held for
her throughout Papua New Guinea.

It called upon the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i of Australia to
arrange a memorial service in the Baha'i House of Worship in Sydney.