Transcript Subud Toronto Celebrates 50 Years Beginnings JG Bennett’s letter to David (Adam) Ziolkowski 14th November Close-up of Letter from J.G.

Subud Toronto
Celebrates 50 Years
Beginnings
JG Bennett’s
letter to
David
(Adam)
Ziolkowski
14th
November
1958
Close-up of Letter from J.G. Bennett
Bapak first visited
Toronto May 21-22,
1959.
He gave 2 talks at the
Canadian Memorial
Chiropractic College,
252 Bloor St W.
(now the site of OISE)
- 59 YYZ 1
- 59 YYZ 2
Bob Prestie, A Canadian who helped Subud grow
Bob Prestie was a Canadian who had served with the RCAF in the
war making many flights in Lancaster bombers. He lived and worked
at Coombe Springs before 1957.
In 1957 he was about to move on from Coombe Springs having a
yen to visit the mystic East for himself. Bennett persuaded him to stay
on, as Bennett knew that Pak Subuh was about to arrive in England.
As a consequence Bob was one of the first people to be opened at
Husein Rofe's flat. His opening was sufficiently dramatic that Bennett
himself wanted to know exactly what had happened with Bob.
In some ways Bob was instrumental in the fact that Bapak, Ibu and
the Indonesian party moved to Coombe Springs. Bob, in his usual
direct manner had said "Mr B. you must invite Pak Subuh to Coombe
Springs." The rest of the story is well-known. When Ibu saw the house
she declared that it was the house that she had seen in her dreams.
Bob Prestie, (continued)
Bob Priestie was instrumental in arranging for Bapak's first visit to the USA. In
1958, once funds became available to pay for Bapak's travel, Bob arranged all of the
travel plans for Bapak and his family. Bob arrived in San Franciso in advance of
Bapak, and gave a talk about Subud soon after he arrived. The first person opened in
the USA was opened by Bob. Bob was instrumental in continuing to help organize
Bapak's visits to California in Subud's early years in the USA.]
Before he left England and returned to the States, he was one of the principal
people helping to look after Mrs Bennett, who was not only ill but also extremely
difficult to handle. This showed us all an unusual caring side of his character. When
back in the States he paved the way for Bapak in California in many areas. Eileen and
I met him several times when we were in LA, and quite recently we stayed with him in
Las Vegas.
He certainly had his faults, but I for one cannot think of them. He was an immensely
generous man; he had a heart of gold; he was a true and completely reliable friend.
In latter years he was not active in Subud as in the early days, but it is sure he
never left the spiritual Brotherhood of Subud. When I called Bob in September, 2002,
to tell him about the amount that was devoted to him in Harlinah Longcroft's History of
Subud Part 2, Maria, his wife, answered the phone. She told me that Bob had died
suddenly from a heart attack on July 18th in Palm Springs. God rest your soul, my
excellent friend Bob Prestie.
- Tony Bright-Paul
Bapak and party arrive at Malton Airport, May 1959
Meeting Bapak’s plane
At the airport
L-R: Mhd Usman, Bapak’s interpreter, Aminah Usman, (Isabel
Prentice behind Aminah) Ibu Siti Sumari, Bapak, May 1959
Back row: Rohana Goodale, David Z, Geo. Prentice
Bapak & Party
Toronto Ladies Group – Opened in 1959
Back row: L-R Nuraysha Holland, Isabel Prentice, Rosalind Kelly, Leonora
Ehrenberg, Front row: Virginia Christy, Emily Nicholson, Kay McInnis
Toronto Men’s Group – Opened in 1959
L-R Frank Fox, David Ziolkowski, Muhtar Holland, Michael Kelly, Osbourn Marks
Toronto Group – Irwin St was the 1st location.
Early members of Subud
Toronto, Muhtar & Nuraysja
Holland are shown with
their first child in 1959.
Muhtar lectured in Arabic,
Turkish and Near Eastern
History at the Univ. of
Toronto. He was born in
1935 in Edinburgh. He now
lives in New York. Harlinah
and Muhtar Holland wrote
the Glossary for Vol. 1 of
the History of Subud.
View of Coobe Springs, UK, 1959
John Bennett in his office at Coombe
Bapak and Congress Delegates at Coombe Springs
Rohana Marks, ?, Serena Ziolkowska, visiting Claremont, Ont.
Medwin Lehman, David Ziolkowski, Rohana Marks, Serena Z.
Visit at Medwin’s in Claremont, Ont.
Osborne Marks, Medwin Lehman, David Z., Rohana Marks
L-R: Back: Prosper & Hilda & Williams, Renata W., Serena, Patricia Rowe, Medwin,
Lehman, Emily McGuire, Front: Lance Monnichmeyer, Louise Gosden, Gerry Corbett
2nd World Congress, Briarcliff College, NY 1963
Roxanne Powell, ? Lena Dickstein, Mme Benigno Arbesu, Rohana Marks, Osborne Marks, M.aria
Graham, Merne Cumming, Back: Roseanna Wilson, ? Lydia Hewitt, Rolf Storto, Malvin St Clair,
Michael Thomas, R. Grad ?
2nd Subud World Congress, 1963
Briarcliff College, N.Y.
L-R: Valentine Rose, Rohana Marks, Byron Sheridan,
David Ziolkowski
Bapak at Airport in Toronto, Sept., 1963
Bapak at Malton Airport
1st Regional Gathering: Michael Thomas, Byron & Rosel Sheridan,
Herbert Stewart, Raymond Grad, David Z., 1965
1st Regional Gathering, Gananoque 1965