Mr. Speaker, last week representatives of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office visited Oxford county.
Along with county Warden Mark Harrison, Woodstock Mayor John Geoghagen and Zorra township Mayor James Muterer, we toured the county with our Taiwanese visitors. We visited a hydroponic tobacco greenhouse in Norwich township and a working dairy farm in Zorra township.
The day included a visit to Embro where we were able to visit the sites associated with Reverend George Lesley Mackay. Reverend Mackay was born in Embro and went to Taipei as a missionary in 1871. He set up Oxford College in Tamsui in 1882 with money donated by Oxford county citizens. The college and a large hospital founded by Reverend Mackay continue to serve the people of Tamsui.
It is my hope that this visit will lead to future beneficial exchanges between Oxford and the Tamsui region of Taiwan.