Bill Le Page later wrote:
Generally throughout this second visit to Australia, Baba was serious, at times unsmiling and withdrawn, and certainly more stern than he had been on his first visit. It was as though he intended to quicken the germination of the seed of love which he had sown on the first visit, and was less inclined to humor our moods, our "will we" or "will we not" love and obey him.1
During Oswald Hall's interview, Baba asked why his wife Betty was not there, and then riveted him with a vivid and smiling glance. When Oswald returned home, Betty told him that one morning while sweeping the floor, she was absorbed in what she could only call "bliss." It lasted some time, and she knew as it faded that she would never forget it, that it would always be there. It was the same morning at the exact time of Oswald's interview.
During the interviews, the possibility of the Rouse and Bruford families staying on the property arose. Baba intimated that after his return to India, he would consider the matter. At the end of June 1958, Baba sent a letter that the Rouses and Brufords were to live at Avatar's Abode. The Rouses moved into the farmhouse, and permission was granted to the Brufords to construct a home on the property.
During his interview Robert Rouse was instructed to farm a portion of the Avatar's Abode property. Bill Le Page was instructed to return to Sydney, after Baba left Australia. Baba remarked that both Robert and Bill were one of the mandali.
The interviews lasted until it was time for lunch. After lunch, the group returned and assembled in the large room in Baba's house to hear the discourses that had been given at the Meherabad and Myrtle Beach sahavases.
It was raining, and Baba remarked, "I like your weather with the warm rain. It reminds me of the first sahavas held in India in 1955, when it had also rained."
Baba also commented on the simplicity of the building, and how it reminded him of his early days at Meherabad.
Baba asked Francis if he thought they were tired, and if they should go out for a while. Bill asked for a ten-minute break.
Baba hesitated, commenting, "A break is a break ..." so all agreed to continue on with the discourses, although several were yawning and looked quite tired.
They were dismissed early that afternoon and returned to their quarters.
Footnotes
- 1.Avatar's Abode, 1958–2008 booklet, compiled by Ray Kerkhove, p. 5.