Inverloch’s last WW2 veteran honoured

INVERLOCH centenarian Trevor Scott has been honoured by the AFL club he’s supported since 1932.

The town’s last surviving World War 2 veteran received a Carlton guernsey signed by captain Patrick Cripps and the senior playing group to mark his 100th birthday.

The guernsey featured the number 100 on the back with “TREVOR” beneath it.

Four-time premiership player David McKay made the presentation at an Inverloch RSL ceremony to mark the milestone.

McKay told carltonfc.com.au it was a privilege to hand over the guernsey.

“What a remarkable man Trevor is,” he said.

“He is a person you can genuinely look up to and it is of no surprise that he is so highly regarded within the ranks of the RSL.”

Mr Scott said he was thrilled with the gesture.

“I reckon this is a fantastic thing,” he said.

“I don’t know if I’d fit into today’s Carlton line-up, but I’d at least look the part.

“For David to present the guernsey was also a big thrill.”

The former Mirboo North footballer was born in Leongatha as one of nine siblings and adopted Carlton as his team during the Great Depression in 1932.

His two older brothers supported Collingwood and Richmond, so he chose Carlton to be different.

Mr Scott was there when Carlton beat Collingwood in the 1938 Grand Final under captain-coach Brighton Diggins, and later tried out at Geelong under Reg Hickey’s watch.

When war broke out in September 1939, Mr Scott’s older brothers Vernon and Wallace enlisted.

He followed suit in January 1944 at age 18 and initially trained as an aircraft technician in Adelaide before re-mustering as an airfield guard to reach the front line faster.

The air force posted him to Torokina on Bougainville Island where he guarded planes against Japanese infiltrators.

“I used to sleep all day and be on duty all night, guarding the airplanes and making sure that there were no Japanese infiltrators coming along, trying to blow the planes up,” he said.

“It was very lonely and I did get very frightened that night and you were surrounded by jungle and you didn’t know what was going on.”

After the war Mr Scott worked at Peter’s Ice Cream for 28 years.

He met his late wife Joan in Maffra in 1948 and they married the following year, raising three children.

Now with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Mr Scott has seen Carlton win 11 premierships and remains a committed Blues supporter.

When asked to name his all-time favourite Carlton player, he simply replied: “If they’re wearing a Carlton jumper they’re all favourites.”