Hugh and John share their birthday (July 24) in 1963 at the family farm north of Shelburne, Ontario, Canada. Over Hugh's left shoulder is an old VW bus. Hugh often sequestered himself in the back seat and typed an autobiography which ended when he died in April 1970.
For nearly four decades, Rev. Dr. Hugh MacMillan and his wife Donalda MacMillan served as a missionaries in Taiwan with the Presbyterian Church of Canada.
Hugh taught and was principal of a theological college, administered a leper colony and a hospital, wrote several books and shepherded many Christian youth groups, including the Taipei YMCA. In 1964 Hugh was elected as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Donalda, in turn, created the first hospital social services department in Taiwan, and led the Taiwan YWCA. In WWII she was a fierce and public opponent of the internment of Japanese-Canadians, and served as Executive Secretary of the Canadian Committee for Japanese Canadians.
Both struggled against the Japanese authorities in the 1930s, but also clashed with their colleagues and superiors over their “radical” religious and political views. These and several other aspects of Hugh and Donalda’s life warrant research.
John MacMillan is Hugh and Donalda’s grandson, and he’s researching the lives of “The Covert Missionaries”. Watch this space as the story unfolds.
a tiny revolution 
Comments on: "In search of the covert missionaries" (2)
Hugh knew “someone like you” would pick up and follow the trail. May your journey be a fruitful one. I look forward to following from afar.
Love,
Wendy
Some records of Hugh MacMillan (HM) in the “Hundred-year History of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan” published in 1965.
1925-1928: Originally there were 25 Canadian missionaries worked in northern Formosa. Nevertheless after the formation of the United Church in Canada, 20 of male and female missionaries opted for UCC and left the northern Formosan mission. Only Mackay (who against the union), HM (who for the union but did not join), and Taylor (who joined the union but accepted by PCC) stayed in northern Formosa.
1928: HM served in the Sunday school committee of the Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Formosa.
1930: On March 25th, HM was elected as the moderator of the 15th Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Formosa.
1931: On the 60th anniversary of the northern Formosan mission, HM and James Dickson, and Taylor encouraged the young Formosans who had been trained in Japan to take up the leadership in the church.
1934: During the 17th Synod, upon Rev. MacLeod’s nomination, HM started to serve in the hymnal committee.
1935: The northern Formosan mission society dismissed Rev. Mackay as the principal of Tamshui High School and appointed HM, who was in good command of Japanese language, to succeed Rev. Mackay. The intention was apparently to diffuse the tension between the church and Japanese authorities.
1947: In December, on behalf of Red Cross and Canadian Aid to China, HM returned to Taiwan.
1954: On the fourth general assembly of PCT, HM was appointed as the assistant general secretary of the PCT.
1961: During the general assembly of the PCT, HM proposed that the PCT should honor the Dutch Reformed missionaries who had been beheaded by Koxinga 300 years ago as Christian martyrs.