John Russell Savige MC, ED (25 July 1908 in

Moe Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Characters * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...

, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia – 21 November 1977 in Moe, Victoria) was a leading figure in Scouting in Victoria. From 1939 to 1945 he served in World War II and was taken Prisoner of War in Crete.

Background

Savige's parents were Albert (Bert) Savige and his wife Alice Long. His grandfather John Savige arrived in Australia as a free settler in 1852 from Towcester,

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, England. In 1856 at

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

he married Emma Russell, a native of Wales. After fossicking for gold for several years, he proceeded to clear, farm and settle areas of Victoria such as Lake Condah in the Western District and Narracan and

in Gippsland. Savige was a first cousin of Lieutenant General Sir Stanley Savige.

World War II

Savige enlisted in the 2nd AIF and served as a captain in the 2/7th Battalion in North Africa, where he was awarded the Military Cross at Bardia and was twice

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. From Libya the battalion was ordered to Greece and then to Crete where he was taken prisoner by the Germans.

After the War

After his discharge from the army, Savige had to rebuild the family farm in Moe and became involved in many community organizations including the Anglican Church, Legacy, Rotary, Moe High School Council and the Moe Co-operative Dairying Co. (chairman of the board). From Germany he was nominated and accepted as a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Scouting

Savige joined

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

in 1924. In 1933 he attended the

4th World Scout Jamboree The 4th World Scout Jamboree ( Hungarian: ''4. Cserkész Világdzsembori''), a gathering of Boy Scouts from all over the world, was hosted by Hungary and held from 2 to 13 August 1933. It was attended by 25,792 Scouts, representing 46 different n ...

in Hungary, where he met Lord Baden-Powell. After the war, Savige became assistant district commissioner of the Strzelecki District and later, district commissioner of the McDonald District. In 1972 the chief commissioner awarded him the Silver Acorn for exceptional services to Scouting. The Russ Savige Log Cabin, Camp Caringal, Erica was erected in memory of Savige, the plaque being unveiled by his widow, Shirley, on 22 March 1981.

References

Books

* *Russell, W.B. (1959), Chapter 4, pp 202, 233, There Goes a Man, Longmans (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). {{DEFAULTSORT:Savige, Russell 1908 births 1977 deaths Australian military personnel of World War II Australian prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Recipients of the Military Cross People from Moe, Victoria People associated with Scouting Scouting and Guiding in Australia