By Tanya Steele
The Yarra Glen RSL is the new owner of a historic medal awarded to a WW1 soldier, handed over for safekeeping by his family on Friday 31 March.
Judith, Peter and Philip Maddox (nee Clark, Wilson) are the great niece and nephews of soldier Private George Saltau and decided to formally donate the family heirloom.
The family wanted to pass along the medal to the area where Private Saltau spent time living and the soldier has documented history in Yarra Glen and Christmas Hills.
“We want to give back and we want it to be for future generations in the district, we’ve had it in the family for 106 years, since 1978,” Philip said.
“He played football and cricket in Yarra Glen,” he said.
Private Saltau was presented with the gold medal from the Christmas Hills Welcome Home League (CHWHL) amid evergreens, dancing and supper at a social and concert in his honour at the Mechanic’s Hall in June 1917.
He was born in Warrnambool and died in Footscray in 1949.
His family are unsure how he ended up living in Footscray as he made Yarra Glen his home for a number of years until 1920.
“We’re not really sure, it’s a bit of a mystery,” Judith said.
The medal is in a frame featuring Private Saltau’s portrait, the medal and some history as the family knows it.
Private Saltau was the first soldier to return home in the Christmas hills area in June 1917.
Geraldine Sanderson, Christmas Hills Mechanic’s Institute secretary attended the event and shared what she knew about the soldier’s history.
“He’s named on the WW1 honour roll at Mechanic’s Hall and he returned, that’s the miracle, with all those young men that went away from tiny towns” she said.
Yarra Glen RSL President Stephen Shortis accepted the framed medal with pride and thanks from the branch, also sharing some of the soldier’s history.
“He was with a sixth infantry battalion and he served in Gallipoli and France, he wasn’t there on the first day of delivery and so he wasn’t amongst the carnage that happened that particular day,” he said.
“But I would suggest that knowing what went on, to come along and take over for reinforcement would take a fair amount of courage from anyone after they knew what had happened.”
“When he returned after a couple of years of service, he was deaf in both ears and was a good citizen of Christmas Hills and also a member of the rifle club.”
The Maddox family hopes the medal will help the RSL continue with its role in honouring and remembering those who fought for their country and help future generations understand their history.
“We want to put it back into the community,” Philip said.
