Truscott is, of course, the man after whom the Melbourne Football Club Best and Fairest is named. He persevered to make his way to two premierships, and back again for his last game while on leave in 1942. The Club has a perpetual shield, instituted by then coach ‘Checker’ Hughes, which has all winners’ names engraved on it, and each winner of the award is presented with an individual trophy.
Beyond this well known recognition, it was very much a case of ‘Par [or Per] Ardua Ad Astra’ for Truscott - ‘Through Adversity To The Stars’ - in his role as a pilot. This RAAF motto appears on a small Melbourne Cricket Club plaque that honours Truscott and recognises his sporting and flying achievements alike.
Following Truscott’s death, his identity was immediately recognised via the naming of the ‘Truscott Airfield’, situated in the remote north-west Kimberley region of Western Australia. This base was abandoned at war’s end, with plane wrecks still littering it. It re-emerged in relevance not long ago, however, when it was used once again as a base for Australian armed services personnel, on this occasion retrieving shipwreck survivors from Ashmore Reef.
Back into the city, and right back into Melbourne, another early recognition of Truscott came with the endowment of a Royal Children’s Hospital ward, named in his honour following a massive fundraising drive. While the ward no longer exists, having been swallowed up through redevelopments across the generations, it is recorded and recognised for its existence.
Before he graced the Melbourne Football Club, and long before he learned to fly Spitfires, Kittyhawks and Catalinas, Truscott was a student at Melbourne High School. A prefect, house captain, cricket and football captain, Truscott, according to the school website, ‘put winning above everything else and was known to go to unbelievable lengths to achieve it.’ Upon his death in 1943, a scholarship was instituted in his name, to go to a student displaying across the board achievement in academic, sporting and extra-curricular activities.
The scholarship was awarded until at least 1948, then fell into disuse. However, it was re-established in 1994, with Dr John Miller, AO - winner in 1946, and joint winner in 1947 - presenting a bronze plaque of Truscott to the school. Today, the ‘Truscott Scholarship’, accompanied by the ‘John Miller Distinguished Achievement Medal’ is a major award for Years 11 and 12 students at Melbourne High.
These are just some of the means via which Truscott is recognised today, nearly seven decades after his wartime death. He may be long gone, but he is certainly not forgotten.
