Lake Scugog Historical Society Historic Digital Newspaper Collection

Port Perry Star, 14 Oct 1987, p. 18

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U DON'T 18 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, October 14, 1987 Talk about your unique occupations ---- Leone and Gord Taylor are missionaries who travel in a one-of-a-kind boat up the coast of British Columbia, bringing the gospel, health care and just plain sociability to remote ports-of-call. Recently they were in Port Perry, visiting local UCW groups and staying with Manchester resi- dent Margaret Ann Lamb. See story for details. Coming Soon to... British Columbia sailors in Port Perry Old-fashioned love boat You could call the Thomas Crosby V a love boat. It is, after all, the place where two . people, a preacher and a nurse, met and fell in love, and where they still live and work together as a married couple. ' More than that, the Thomas Crosby V is the very definition of love, as it spreads the word of God, medical help and cheer to the remotest points along the northwest coast of British Columbia. To a lonely lighthouse attendant, the Thomas Crosby V is the only source of human companionship he might see in six months. To families in desolate logging camps, the Thomas Crosby V brings news of the rest of the world, and maybe a new book to read. To native villagers, the Thomas Crosby V is sole supplier of medicine. | The 20 year old 80' diesel powered craft is all of these things to many, many people who have little contact with others. Families and in- dividuals welcome the mission boat with open arms, and hate to see it go. And while they love the Thomas Crosby V a great deal, two people who visited Port Perry recently love her even more. If that's possible. Gord and Leone Taylor are the husband and wife, preacher and nurse team who call the boat their SCUGOG TOWNSHIP "Probably the Best Marketing Sales Tool any Business ever had" MISS ouT!! LILY CALL TODAY 852-3042 852-3361 TO RESERVE AD SPACE Uxbndge Printing Co Ltd 1s pleased to introduce the new large type Easy To Read HOME PHONE BOOK to the Port Perry area. Over 5900 FREE copies will be delivered to mailing residents in Port Perry, Seagrave, Blackstock, Prince Albert, Nestleton, Caesarea and Greenbank areas by December 1987. It's so easy to quickly look up local area and business listings without straining your eyes. Plus... It's one of the most effective annual marketing tools any business ever had. The Best Part... up to 80% Less Expensive to advertise in the Easy To Read Home Phone Book than the major competition. For ad rates and information call Dana Stemp, Sales Consultant 852-3042 or 852-3361. Space is limited so DON'T DELAY, CALL TODAY!!! home for most of the year, winter, spring, summer and fall. Along with a Captain, Engineer, two deck hands and a cook, the Taylors reside on a boat that is the last of its kind. At one time, 13 mission boats, run by different churches, cruised the waters of the Pacific Ocean, spreading the gospel and medical aid to remote ports and villages. But partly because of dwindling population, and partly because modern roads now connect several places to the rest of the world, now only one mission boat survives, paid for by the United Church of Canada. The boat itself is named after Thomas Crosby, the first mis- Sionary to ever brave the desolate shore. He came from Ingersoll, On- tario, and read about the job in a church newspaper. Deciding he was the one called by God to do the work, he borrowed money and headed west. On his arrival, he was frowned upon by the B.C. clergy who didn't approve of borrowing money. He was forced to first find a job and pay back the money he owed before he could be ordained. : And right from the beginning, he made waves. His wife started a home for girls, called the Crosby Home, while Thomas began a church and a school. When he discovered he was needed in more remote parts of British Columbia, he found himself a 30' canoe and nine native paddlers from Port Simpson. With this less-than-sturdy boat, he visited remote outports and camped on shore overnight. But being a tall man, his feet stuck out of blankets and in the cold months, were covered in snow. To remedy the situation, he laun- ched a real boat, the Glad Tidings, so he and his 'crew could travel in relative comfort-and so he wouldn't wake up with snow on his feet. The Glad Tidings hit the water in 1884, and since then, many boats have followed in her wake. Even-in modern times, a boat is the only way to reach certain outposts. The Thomas Crosby V visits six villages, but makes 55 ports of call, some of which might be to visit one or two individuals. Ten people, for example, make up the tiny village of Bull Harbour. Gord and Leone Taylor, who spent half of their vacation time touring through the Port Perry area speak: ing about their missionary work to local churches, met on board the Thomas Crosby V. They were hired separately a fey, years ago--Leone first, as a nurse, and Gord later, as a minister. They fell in love and married not too long after. Leone packs a tackle box full of medication, and does pre-natal and post-natal care, vision and hearing testing, as well as first aid. She's in contact with hospitals and can call in for help if necessary. Gord packs a Bible and performs weddings, funerals, and services. But his most important function is simply talking to the people he visits. Few services are formal. More often, he merely reads from the Bible or chats. "You don't have to do anything but arrive to get them excited," he said. '"The Crosby is really impor- tant to these people because we're sometimes the only social contact these people have." And it doesn't seem to matter if the people they visit aren't members of the United Church. Catholics, Anglicans and Presbyterians--no matter what, the Taylors are greeted with the same enthusiasm. "It doesn't matter," Gord says. "Because we're the only game in town." "You become a friend to the peo- ple," Leone adds. "It does have a certain amount of the spirit of adventure. The hardest part is liv- ing in a confined area for 24 days." Still, they don't suffer from isola- tion the way many of the people they visit do. Which is why the Taylors are always greeted so warmly. "We get kind of spoiled by the lighthouse keepers," Gord says. While in this area, they spent a week in Manchester with Margaret Ann Lamb and her family. "It's just been great," Mrs. Lamb says. 'I like their dedication and the sense of adventure. The idea of be- ing the only visitors and being their friends is great. They're either dedicated," she says with a laugh. 'or crazy!" Patrick G. Deegan DENTURE THERAPY CLINIC NEW LOCATION: 174 Water St. -- Port Perry BY APPOINTMENT ONLY! EVERY VEHICLE PROTECTED Phone: 985-2916 or 623-4473 cov.ecn Also behind Panels all chrome mouldings WITH OIL UNDERCOATING 22050. - '60. pillars Rear Door posts wheel arcries Quarter SCUGOG OIL UNDERCOATING SERVICE R.R.2 OSHAWA - RAGLAN Owned & Operated by: Jim Gibson Also Available: CAR CLEAN-UP SERVICE (Wash, Wax, Interior Shampooing) Phone 655-4462

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