CO/DO's in the UK?

by pobthespazz 202 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Gordy

  Lots of names I remember, over my 30 years as a JW.

  I remember Paul Presland when he was a CO came to our KH. He was doing the Thursday night meeting "New things learnt" I think they used to call it. He was discussing a Watchtower article and there was a picture on one of the pages. He asked what was wrong with the picture.

  A sister said one of the men in the picture had a beard. Paul straight way said "There is nothing wrong with any Christian brother having a beard."

  You could hear the whole audience gasp. I think one Elder nearly fainted. But no brother ever did chance growing a beard though.

  I mentioned one on the list I put on here was Keith Johnstone. He was a pioneer, Elder, Field Service Overseer, with his wife Louise, in our congregation for many years. They were a well liked couple, didn't have children, devoted to the ministry. He used to stand in for CO duties occasionally. Then he was appointed a Circuit Overseer officially. Round 1990 I think. Everyone was made up for him.

  They were sent up to the North East of England, Middlesborough area. They were there for nearly two years maybe. Then we heard that Louise was pregnant. Everyone was surprised seeing that they had made sure not to have children for many years. Of course they had to give up the Circuit and they came back. Went back to being Elder and Service Overseer in the congregation.

  A few years later after I had left the JW's. I was contacted by one of the posters on here, who knew my congregation. He had moved down south, still a JW but fading. We went over "old times" and JW's we knew. He asked if I knew Keith Johnstone. Did I know why he came off the Circuit. I said because wife got pregnant. He said that was the excuse they had to use. From what my contact said is that Keith had been shaken by some of the things that were going on in congegations. That the only way they could get out of the circuit, without people asking questions was for the wife to get pregnant. Funnily I often thought Keith was not the same when he came back, he seemed to have lost that "bounce" he had before.

  .
• 

  scotsman

  Thanks Tij, I've been wracking my brains trying to remember Robert Strickland. Liked antiquarian maps and skived off a lot. Jean loved a gossip and had eyebrows plucked to oblivion.

  Andy Schofield is on the Newcastle circuit I've learned. How Biker Jane copes with that life I don't know.

  david remarried a girl he met 2 months prior at a pioneer meeting rehearsal..got 'demoted' to just an elder in anniesland cong in glasgow where he didnt quite come to terms with not being the c.o...died not long after...poor girl he married - her first husband had ran off to become part of the gay scene in london so she lost 2 husbands in almost as many years...as oscar wilde would say to lose one is unfortunate but to lose two was just plain careless

  That's not entirely true. He left her because she was a bloody nightmare and then began a relationship with another man that he'd known for a long time. They're still together and he's never been on the gay scene. She was one of the most manipulative people I've ever come across and an adept liar. Don't know what David saw in her.

  Unlike Number 6 I was never keen on Alastair Campbell, as a CO and when he took my pioneer school. Bit of a bully at times. Kate however, was delightful.
• 

  slimboyfat

  Fantasitic gossip tijkmo !

  I was at a meeting where Mike Reid did his magic tricks - great fun! (well more fun than usual at the hall anyway...)

  Slim
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  tijkmo

  Ray in particular who embarrassed me totally at a door in Strathaven when a scantily dressed female answered the door and he asked me if it gave me any urges.... in front of the poor woman

  before he became a co he was in coatbridge cong..the folk there tell the story of the meeting item that he took that was all about running in the race for life...ray did it in a track suit jogging the whole time...sometimes i wonder why i was never made a c.o and my conclusion is that eccentiric as i am i just wasnt eccentric enough

  David Carter? Wasnt he the one who looked and acted a bit like the actor Robert Moreley? He used to ask the audience questions directly from the platform of the Circuit Assembly, although no one could here any answers as no mics were provided at the cct assemblies. Quite a comedian and i seem to remember him having Hamilton Town Hall in fits of laughter with his banter in the late 80's,

  ah yes the famous "i never had to cope with this much wind before" incident

  Keith Johnstone.

  did he ever do construction at bethel..cos im sure i met a keith johnstone there.

  That's not entirely true.

  my bad..i stand corrected..i only ever really knew her thru anne and anna so only got one side of the story..thanx for the correction

  I was at a meeting where Mike Reid did his magic tricks - great fun! (well more fun than usual at the hall anyway...)

  mikes best friend was a magician before becoming a jw..so he taught him the tricks..mike rewired my house during a spell when he was not doing circuit work so we got to know him a bit better..altho he would probably still walk by me now...one cong he visited was refusing to reinstate a bro who had been df for 8 years and never missed a meeting..he told the commitee that he would remove them as elders if they didnt do so...gotta love that fast moving spirit directed chariot..now 'happily' remarried he is back on lanark circuit which is where he was when he got took off for a while..both him and the circuit are loving that..not
• 

  fleaman uk

  Hi tij

  Maybe i missed something.did Mike Read get divorced or widowed to be able to remarry?
• 

  LittleToe

  Fleaman:
  Mike's wife died, so they took him off for a while. He's been back on for at least seven or eight years that I can think of.
• 

  slimboyfat

  tijkmo

  You obviously stay not far from me. Would you be willing to meet up some time? I would really enjoy a chat with someone who is sane!

  I liked Mike Reid, though I know a lot did not.

  No one seems to have mentioned Brian Scott - does anyone know what happened to him? If I have got the name right then he was DO in Scotland a few years ago, gave "over the top" talks, and got depressed or ill of something and never heard from him again.

  A lot of COs and DOs seem to get depressed.

  Slim
• 

  LittleToe

  I knew Brian Scott before he went on circuit work. In fact I went to Pioneer School with one of this two daughters, and one of his first congregations as a temporary CO was to a congregation I attended in England in the 80s.

  I had heard he climbed the lofty heights, but not that he had bombed out. I found him personable enough, and his talks interesting. He made an effort to do a good job
• 

  slimboyfat

  There was a long thread on this board about four or five years ago saying that David Algarve had hung himself, then the story changed so that it was his son that had hung himself... I take it that was just a rumour then? (strange kind of "rumour" if you ask me)

  I wish I could find that thread, but the archives are what they are and I wouldn't know where to start.

  Slim
• 

  tijkmo

  Mike's wife died, so they took him off for a while. He's been back on for at least seven or eight years that I can think of

  oooh so close...mike got took off because his wife was ill ..but this was just en excuse used because he had crossed paths with bethel once too often...mike sent them a letter thanking them for their interest in his and his wifes wellbeing and humbly accepting their direction (haha ..not) and his comment on their possible reaction was "whats the worse they can do, not give me a convention talk"..so thats what they did...

  while in larkhall his wife got better and was working for a local elder doing his accounts when she noticed that he had been cooking the books..she brought this to the attention of her husband and the body of elders..but larkhall was having bigger problems so nothing was done at the time..his word gainst hers...mike maintains that the stress triggered her illness and to this day holds that now ex elder (see wait on jehovah) responsible for her death

  No one seems to have mentioned Brian Scott - does anyone know what happened to him? If I have got the name right then he was DO in Scotland a few years ago, gave "over the top" talks, and got depressed or ill of something and never heard from him again.

  brian was one of my favourites..when he stayed with us we would have deep phylosophical discussions till the early hours.. sadly though he sided with the idiot chairman of my jc..tony boyland who was a longtime friend ...and when an elder in my cong objected to the way i had been treated he conspired with his friend to have him removed..while i was df my wife begged for a sheperding call for herself during his visit..was told by tony that he would be too busy ..but brian agreed to see her at the kingdom hall on the saturday afternoon...this was because there were assembly rehearsals going on at the time so my wife was there all afternoon getting shepherded for 5 minutes at a time at half hour intervals..she still defends them to this day..

  brian came off because of either his or her parents needing care..but i think he did genuinely care so probably burnout was a factor too

  tony wanted brian to approve him for gilead...brian used him as temporary c.o..but last i heard he was not even a pioneer any longer..aaah shame

  You obviously stay not far from me. Would you be willing to meet up some time? I would really enjoy a chat with someone who is sane

  yeah no prob..pm me