In the early fifties a new children's magazine appeared on the bookstalls among the comic strips, distinguishing itself from its neighbours both in its technical superiority and in the excellence of its material. As well as weekly strips showing the adventures of well-known heroes such as Dan Dare and Tintin, the "Eagle" carried a religious feature on the back page bearing the by-line "Story by Chad Varah." What was only known to an inner circle of initiates was that the Rev. Chad Varah was not only a story writer but the initiator of this bold and successful attempt to bring quality and (unobtrusively) spirituality to the world of youth journalism. A few years later, Chad Varah began his more famous venture when he set up the "Samaritans", the first telephone help line for those in social and psychological need, which since then has had followers the world over.

Born in 1911, Chad Varah was ordained as Anglican clergyman in 1936. One of his first duties was to officiate at the funeral of a 14-year old girl. Inquiries revealed that she had committed suicide - shocked at discovery of the first visible signs of puberty, she had nobody with whom she could discuss these symptoms and became convinced that she was suffering from a dreadful and incurable illness and taking her own life seemed the only way out. In a recent BBC radio interview, Varah described how this event changed his life: he resolved from that moment to put an end to the general tabu on public discussion about sexuality and bodily functions, and so work towards a world where such a thing could never happen. Saying "I don't care if they do call me a dirty old man" he started that very evening with question and answer sessions at his local youth group - these were very popular although the depth of ignorance and misinformation about these matters astounded him.

It was as a sex therapist that he offered the "Samaritans" telephone counselling service, recognizing that still in 1953 much human despair could be traced back to problems arising out of sexuality and sexual relationships. Looking back more than 40 years later he could see some improvement in social attitudes: until the early sixties homosexuality was an offence in Britain and people involved in such relationships risked not only public disfavour and loss of income but also fines or imprisonment and were consequently often the prey of blackmailers; further, someone needing an abortion need no longer be driven to despair in their search.

Throughout a long life Chad Varah has remained tireless in his attempts to build a more rational, humane society without sacrificing his deep religious principles. In his eighties he began a campaign to discourage East African immigrants from continuing their tradition of female genital mutilation and was able to note several successes achieved not by political action but by actually going to the homes of the families and explaining how the lives of their daughters would be more fulfilled and happy if they were not subjected to this practice.

Source (mainly): two BBC radio interviews

29 October 1997

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