Location Queensland, Australia Website avatarsabode.com.au Founded 1958 | Services Charity Phone +61 7 5442 1961 | |
Address 48 Meher Rd, Kiels Mountain QLD 4559, Australia Type of business Proprietary Limited Company | ||
Avatar's Abode is a 99-acre (40 ha) spiritual retreat about 115 km north of Brisbane, Australia dedicated to Meher Baba.
Contents
Founding
In 1956 Ena Lemmon sent Baba a formal invitation to visit Australia, which he accepted. The idea of establishing a place dedicated to Meher Baba in the warmer climate of Australia grew out of a letter from Meher Baba's sister and disciple, Mani Irani. On 11 January 1958, she wrote to the Australian group of followers, indicating that Meher Baba wished to give his Sahavas (company) in Australia at one place only, and that Baba would "like Queensland if the climate is good during June, and if the place is practical." In 1958, using money inherited from the Australian Sufi leader Baron Von Frankenburg, Brabazon found and finalised the purchase of an eighty-two-acre pineapple farm on Kiels Mountain, Woombye, Queensland, after receiving Meher Babas' approval by telegram. Baba wrote on the telegram on 2 February 1958 'Place secured by you excellently suitable'.
During 1958, Francis Brabazon and Bill Le Page, along with three paid workers from Queensland and with the help of several people from Sydney and Melbourne, worked hard (often in the rain) to have the site ready in time to welcome Baba. While he was there in 1958, Baba named the area Avatar's Abode and said it would become a place of world pilgrimage. Avatar's Abode is one of three main centres set up worldwide, the other being Meher Spiritual Center and the samadhi (tomb-shrine) in Meherabad, India.
Transition
Brabazon lived in India for ten years with Meher Baba from 1959 to 1969; as a result he was released from the work associated with Australia. In 1967 Baba told Brabazon to 'transfer Avatar's Abode to Bill Le Page who will, when the time is ripe, form a trust of which he will be chairman and turn the place over to it'.
Development
Baba gave clear cut objectives to Le Page for Avatar's Abode's development, setting an objective of making Avatar's Abode universally known and one of the great places of pilgrimage in the world. Baba was consulted about the legal structure and approved a proprietary limited company; he also chose the name Meher Holdings and approved the directors, Brabazon and Le Page.
In 1979 significant numbers of the Baba community started a petition questioning Le Pages methods After several years of stalemate, a deal was brokered in 1984 by Eruch Jessawala and a new company "Avatar's Abode Pty. Ltd." was created to accommodate local concerns brought about by the petition. Meher Baba Foundation Australia functioned concurrently with the new company after discussions with Eruch Jessawala in India.