Korumburra celebrates centenary of Legacy and honours local founder

THE CENTENARY of Legacy was celebrated in Korumburra on Sunday with a plaque unveiled at Coleman Park to mark the occasion, and there was a focus on the organisation’s founder Sir Stanley (Stan) Savige and his strong links to the town where he attended school.

South Gippsland legatee and Vietnam veteran Perry Neil unveiled the plaque.

“The spirit of Legacy is service,” it declared.

It details the service the organisation provides in caring for dependants of veterans who gave their lives or health on operational service or subsequently.

Descendants of Stan were in attendance, Graeme Savige delivering a poignant yet humorous speech about his third cousin, Graeme’s great grandfather Stan’s direct cousin.

Graeme spoke of Stan’s original military association when aged about 10 years in 1900 he joined a newly formed junior cadet attachment in Korumburra.

“He enlisted as a bugler despite the fact he was underage and couldn’t play the bugle,” Graeme said.

However, he stressed that later electing to serve in WWI was not an easy decision for Stan given the religious teachings to which he was exposed and their incompatibility with war.

“He came to the conclusion he couldn’t not do something about it,” Graeme said of Stan’s reaction to the threat faced by the allies.

Being a crack shot Stan became a sniper at Gallipoli, later sent to France with the 24th Battalion after being among the last to leave the peninsula.

During his service, he was awarded many honours including the Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross and Greek Cross, being four times mentioned in dispatches.

After the war, Stan’s association with Major General Sir John Gellibrand sparked his formation of Legacy.

Major General Gellibrand had established a club in Hobart to look after returned soldiers and encouraged Stan to do something similar in Melbourne.

“So, initially Legacy wasn’t about looking after the wives and children but it soon morphed into that,” Graeme said, adding the beginnings of Legacy occurred around August 1923.

Devoted legatee Jane Ross was credited during Sunday’s ceremony for her efforts in organising the event, although she said after it was a committee effort.

“Following my father into South Gippsland Legacy has been one of the great privileges of my life,” she declared.

She said she and the committee members wanted to mark Legacy’s centenary in a meaningful way and is thrilled at how the event turned out.

Lieutenant General Sir Stanley Savige passed away in 1954, having also served in WWII.

Memorial gates and a plaque at Coleman Park honour his memory.