Madam, - Readers of the "Thinking Anew" column on Saturday, July 23 may have been surprised to learn of the death of the Samaritans' founder Rev Chad Varah. They should be assured that their surprise would be nothing compared with the surprise of Rev Varah himself.
The Reverend, known by the 1,700 Samaritans volunteers in Ireland simply as Chad, remains quite hale and hearty in his London home and Samaritans in Ireland would like to confirm that he remains in touch with the organisation, having been pictured earlier this year for our internal magazine outside the premises of the first Samaritans branch.
He also continues to hold very true to the convictions which led him to open the now world-famous 24-hour confidential emotional support service in 1953. These convictions led him to ask the late Rev Sidney Callaghan in Belfast and the late Rev Billy Wynne in Dublin to help set up branches in this country.
Last year Samaritans had almost 550,000 contacts on the island and remain at the centre of providing time and space to people who cannot talk to or email anyone else about difficult and painful thoughts, feelings and emotions they are experiencing.
In outlining the reasons for setting up Samaritans, the Thinking Anew column draws attention to the clergy's close associations with the organisation and to the biblical name of Samaritans, but it would surprise many to learn that Rev Varah deliberately avoided any religious overtones when setting up the service.
It was in fact the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror which first coined the name "Samaritans" in a headline about the unique new service in 1954.
The name stuck and the rest is history. - Yours, etc,
PAUL O'HARE,
Public Relations Manager,
Samaritans Regional Office,
Marlborough Street,
Dublin 1.