Stewart Wren OAM (1913-1993). In memorium.
Francis Stewart Wren was born in Bairnsdale in October 1913.
He was educated at Bairnsdale Primary School No. 754 and Bairnsdale High School.
The death of his father on active service during the First World War meant that Stewart accepted responsibility at an early age for his widowed mother and younger brother.
On leaving school in the years of the Great Depression, he worked for some years in the office of Dwyers Garage, and later opened his own business, a toy and gift shop in Main Street.
He served in the RAAF during the 1939-45 war for over four years, being stationed in New Guinea and other South Pacific areas.
On his return he again opened a toy and gift shop with a sub-newsagency in a different location in Main Street, and after some years he sold this business and joined Dalgetys as their merchandise manager, where he remained for 25 years until his retirement.
Stewart Wren was always a very keen sportsman, playing both football and cricket from an early age, and while still in his teens became a very active member of the Bairnsdale Rowing Club.
In later life, he became a very active member of the Bairnsdale Bowling Club.
Football History:
In football, as a player, umpire and administrator, he served 62 years.
He commenced playing football in Bairnsdale with “Shannon’s Wanderers” – a team founded and managed by Jim Shannon, who managed the Shannon family draper shop in Main Street – and went on to play for both Bairnsdale and West End All Blacks (which became West Bairnsdale), in the original East Gippsland League, at the age of 16.
As well as a player, he became assistant secretary and then secretary and club delegate. He won the Best and Fairest award in 1934.
After five years as a player and administrator, he turned his attention and interest to umpiring and officiated in that capacity for some years, firstly in the Omeo District League and then the East Gippsland League.
In 1939 he was involved in establishing the first official junior competition in the area.
Stewart joined the committee of the reformed Bairnsdale Football Club after the war, in 1947, and served as a player as well as both president and secretary. He was elected president and secretary of the Gippsland Football League in 1951 and later was awarded life membership of that body. He formed the Bairnsdale Second XVIII in 1951 to play in the Bairnsdale and District League and successfully coached that team to its first premiership.
He returned to umpiring for two years and then rejoined the Bairnsdale Football Club.
In 1955 he retired as a player at the age of 42, and in the same year was elected as District Councillor to the V.C.F.L. He was a member of the V.C.F.L. Standing Committee, Rules Committee and Investigation Committee for many years.
Following an instruction of the Investigation Committee early in 1974, he successfully guided the amalgamation of the Gippsland Football League and the Bairnsdale and District League into the new East Gippsland Football League.
He was secretary of the East Gippsland Football League from 1974 until 1980 when he retired to devote time and energy to junior football activities.
Stewart was the East Gippsland representative on the Board of Directors of the Victorian Country Football League for 36 years and was their president in 1974-75.
In 1979 he was appointed Zone Co-ordinator by the Footscray Football Club to assess and recruit players and promote the Footscray Football Club in the area.
He was honoured with life membership of the Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale Football Clubs, and the East Gippsland League, as well as receiving the “Recognition of Service” medallion (1962) and Life Membership from the Victorian Country Football League (1967) and the “Award of Merit” from the National Football League (1980) for outstanding service to football.
He served some time as president of the Bairnsdale Cricket Association.
Stewart was president of Bairnsdale Bowling Club in 1982 and served as tournament secretary for many years.
Quite apart from his sporting contributions to the area, Stewart Wren had a long record of other service to the community.
He was secretary of the Bairnsdale Oval Committee of Management and worked hard for improvements on that ground in the 1950s and 60s, including fencing and dressing sheds.
He was a foundation member of the Apex Club when it was formed in Bairnsdale in 1938, and served some years as secretary to the Bairnsdale Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the Bairnsdale High School Council for many years and was one of the prime movers for the appointment of the School Chaplain.
Stewart was a member of the Board of Management of the East Gippsland Centre, formerly the Geriatric Centre and Gippsland Benevolent Home, and was president of that board for five years.
During his presidency, he worked tirelessly for the establishment of a 40-bed hospital in Moroney Street, and he had the joy and honour of presiding over the opening of that hospital by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Rohan Delacombe, in November 1973.
Stewart was director of the Bairnsdale Festival for nine years.
His service to his church set an excellent example for others to follow. He was inducted as an elder of St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Bairnsdale, in 1938, and served in that capacity for 52 years.
During these 52 years as an Elder, he was also Sunday School Superintendent for 22 years and Session Clerk for 27 years.
He was a truly Christian gentleman who took with him his Christian teachings out into his community work, for the benefit of others.
He had been a member of the RS&L since his return from active service in 1946.
Stewart Wren was elected to the Town, now City Council, in 1978 and served continuously until his death.
He was Council’s delegate to the Municipal Association of Victoria, The Provincial Cities’ and Towns’ Association of Victoria and The Gippsland Municipalities’ Association, and was a member of numerous council committees during his 15 years as a councillor.
He was Mayor of Bairnsdale for two terms in 1982-83 and 1988-89. Two of his successful involvements were as a council member of the committee for the restoration of the Cenotaph, and as secretary to the “Back to Bairnsdale” held in March 1993.
He was a most dedicated councillor who was always concerned to act in the best interests of the community and specially concerned to keep expenses to a minimum in order to keep the burden of rates to the people as low as possible.
He was highly respected as a councillor by all of his council colleagues.
Order of Australia:
Stewart Wren was honoured on Australia Day in 1992 with the award of the Order of Australia for his services to football and the community – a fitting reward for his long and valuable service to the community of Bairnsdale and Gippsland and more widely to Victoria.
Stewart married Ruth Cameron (dec.) in 1940, and they were blessed with seven children, Daryl, Cheryl, Trevor, Lyndie, Peter and twins Ian and Janine, to all of whom he was a wonderful husband and father.
Stewart Wren passed away in 1993 and the Bairnsdale Advertiser, in a feature article on June 18th 1993, stated… ‘All citizens would agree that Bairnsdale has lost one of its finest sons, who devoted his life to his community and always put the needs of others before himself.’
‘The sympathy of the whole community goes out to Ruth and all the family in the sad loss they have suffered with the passing of this most devoted husband, father and grandfather.’
The Stewart Wren Medal:
The Best and Fairest senior player in the East Gippsland Football League is awarded the Stewart Wren Medal. The medal was first awarded in 1981 in honour of Stewart, East Gippsland's Mr. Football. The first winner of this prestigious award was Doug Paterson of Lindenow.
Please visit our ‘Photo Galleries’ to view photos of Stewart.
The above information is courtesy of the Wren family and the Bairnsdale Advertiser.