Memories of Dr Boreham by Dr Gordon Powell
An article by Rev Dr Gordon Powell that was published in the 'New Life' newspaper, printed in Melbourne, Australia.
The Rev. Dr Gordon Powell is widely known through his ministries in both Melbourne and Sydney. Now living in retirement in Melbourne he says. “My hobby these days is getting Christian articles into secular newspapers.” However, having recently prepared an article on Dr F. W. Boreham, whose books are still keenly sort after, Dr Powell forwarded the following interesting article to “New Life”…
Fifty years ago this year, Dr F. W. Boreham, author and popular preacher, reached the zenith of his career. I was in Scotland during doing postgraduate work as an Australian student when it happened.
One night in 1936 the Assembly of the Church of Scotland saw a record 3,500 ministers, elders and others crowd into the hall to hear an Australian preacher. Introducing Dr Boreham, the Moderator, Prof. Daniel Lamont, described him as “the man whose name is on all our lips, whose books are on all our shelves, and whose illustrations are in all our sermons.”
I have listened to many famous public speakers but I still regard Dr Boreham’s address that night as the greatest ovation I ever heard. He spoke for over an hour without a single note, and kept the immense audience spellbound.
Two classes of story, he said, always catch the imagination – love stories and stories of conversion. He quoted case after case from English literature.
At the end there was tremendous and prolonged applause, something unusual in that very dignified Assembly.
Scots Church
Frank Boreham was born in Tunbridge Wells, 40 kilometres south-east of London. After training for the Baptist ministry, he served churches in New Zealand; Hobart, Tasmania; and Armadale, Victoria. He retired when he turned 65 in 1936 intending to live quietly in the house he had bought in Fellows Street, Kew.
However, while he was in Britain, a new series of midweek services, intended for business people, was inaugurated at Scots church, Melbourne – on April 22, 1936.
A few weeks after Dr Boreham arrived back from Britain a letter came from Scots church, Melbourne, inviting him to conduct this Wednesday worship.
He was not very well at the time and agreed to take it on only for a month. But so great was the response from his readers of all church traditions. He was implored to carry on for 18 years! He gave up only when he passed his 84th birthday.
During a month-long celebration of the jubilee of those services in Scots church during April this year special tributes were paid to Dr Boreham.
Early in his ministry F W Boreham was invited to write an editorial for the “Otago Times”.
That gave him an appetite for newspaper work. For 47 years he wrote the Saturday editorial for the “Hobart Mercury”.
During his Scots Church ministry and right up until his death, fortnightly magazine articles appeared in “The Age” Melbourne, over the initials F.W.B.
Dr Boreham wrote the Saturday Reflections in “The Age” for 14 years.
Billy Graham
One day in late April 1959 during Billy Graham’s first visit to Australia in 1959 I was playing golf with him in Sydney.
He said to me, “My wife, Ruth, is a great admirer of Dr Boreham and has all his books except four. While I was in Melbourne I went out to Kew to see him.”
“Yesterday I remembered a story he had in one of his books about a Christian thinker who influenced the puritan Richard Baxter in the 17th century. He influenced another and the other brought yet another to the faith. The chain went on until it reached Queen Victoria. I would like to check the details. Can you remember which book it was in?”
I recalled the story, but could not name the book.
Billy said, “Would you mind writing to Dr Boreham and asking him?” I still treasure Dr Boreham’s reply although it was very sad and was almost certainly the last letter the author ever wrote. It was penned in his home in Kew and dated “5.V. 59.” Dr Boreham went to hospital five days later and died on May 18.
The letter said, “My dear old friend, your letter comes at a most unfortunate moment. I am really ill and I’ve had the doctor with me during the night. Moreover Mrs. Boreham and Stella have survived major operations of recent weeks. It has been a terrible time.”
“Under these conditions, my memory has gone to pieces. But I fancy the par you want is ‘Drums of Dawn’, page 259. I enclose it.”
“I do hope this is the reference you seek. Blessings on you and Billy Graham.
“As ever, FWB.”
The Borehams had only one daughter, Stella.[1] Only a month after her father died she was called home.
Many hundreds attended Dr Boreham’s funeral in his beloved Armadale church, Melbourne. They represented millions around the world whose lives had been enriched by this man of God.
All that work!
For a short time in his early ministry Dr Boreham used a typewriter, but he did not like it and gave it away. He always urged would-be authors to compose in long-hand only.
Towards the end of his life, a huge pile of manuscripts had accumulated. One day he and his wife decided something must be done about them.
Looking at them Mrs. Boreham groaned and said, “All that work!”
Later Dr Boreham said to a friend, “It is strange, but I never once thought of it as work at all.”
[1] The Borehams had four daughters but Gordon Powell means in this statement that they only had one daughter at home at that time.