Reverend George Leslie Mackay
1844 - 1901
Son of Scots immigrants, Presbyterian missionary George Mackay was born near Embro in Zorra Township. In 1872, he founded the first Canadian overseas mission in Tamsui, Taiwan. An unconventional character, but sensitive to local needs, Mackay practised dentistry and trained local clergy. He married a Taiwanese, Tiun Chhang-Mian, and had three children. The "Black-Bearded Barbarian" worked in the Tamsui region until his death, establishing 60 chapels, several schools and a hospital. In 1881, he raised funds here in Oxford County to help build Oxford College, Tamsui, which later became a university. He was also an outspoken opponent of the Canadian head tax on Chinese immigrants. An inspiration to the evangelical missions movement in Ontario, Mackay remains a national hero in Taiwan.
On Thursday, September 18, 2003, members of the Canadian Taiwanese Community, the Canadian Mackay Committee, Oxford County Council and Administration, as well as representatives from the Ontario Heritage Foundation gathered at Memorial Park in Embro to unveil a new provincial plaque to honour the Reverend George Leslie Mackay. This new plaque, which contains text in Mandarin and Romanized Taiwanese, is placed beside a previous English-French plaque which was unveiled on June 2, 2001, the 100th anniversary of his death.
