December 21. On this date in 1927, Frank Leonard Wyss, an Australian Baha'i who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia in the 1950's and became the Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for the Cocos Islands Islands, was born in Sydney, Australia.

 

December 21. On this date in 1927, Frank Leonard Wyss, an Australian Baha'i who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia in the 1950's and became the Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for the Cocos Islands Islands, was born in Sydney, Australia.

What has always struck me about the designation of Knights of Bahá'u'lláh is the arbitrariness with which the "virgin territories" were defined. For example, the Cook Islands and Tonga Island, both part of the Realm of New Zealand have distinct sets of Knights, while Niue and the Chatham Islands, also part of the Realm of New Zealand, are Knightless. 

Several islands off the coast of Alaska have distinct Knights, like Baranof Island , Kodiak Island, and the Aleutian Islands. Yet other Alaskan islands, like the Pribilof Islands are Knightless.

The Brazilian state of Amapá has its own Knights (for Portuguese Guiana), while the other Brazilian states are Knightless.

Crete and Rhodes have Knights distinct from the Knights of mainland Greece, yet other Greek islands, like Santorini and Samos, are Knightless.

Key West has its own Knight, yet the other Florida Keys are Knightless.

Tiny islands, like Grand Manan, have their own Knights. St. Thomas Island has its own Knight, yet the remaining Leeward Islands have one set of Knights, representing numerous politically and geographically independent islands. Similarly, the Windward Islands have one set of Knights, representing numerous politically and geographically independent islands.