Jack Higgins, a long serving member of the Creswick-Clunes Branch of the ALP, died recently, aged 90.
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He was born in Creswick on March 10, 1926 but lived all his life at Clunes. He attended the Clunes Elementary School and later Maryborough Tech, which he would sometimes wag, jumping off the train at Talbot to go rabbiting.
Mr Higgins left school at age 14 to work at the Interknit hosiery and Boot Factory in Clunes and with the outbreak of World War II he joined the army, fudging his age to do so. However, someone dobbed him in and he was discharged.
He then worked at various jobs in the district as a farmhand, shearers’ cook and rouseabout until he was old enough to legally join up and this time it was into the air force. He trained in South Australia but the war ended before he was posted overseas. He returned to Clunes and met Jean and they married in 1950.
Mr Higgins worked as a linesman with the PMG, later becoming an estimator until his retirement in the mid 1980s. He was active in his union, the Australian Labor Party and in the Clunes community where he played tennis, bowls and golf. He was also a committee member of the primary school, the museum, the swimming club and the football club. He was involved with the RSL for decades and became a legatee.
Jack Higgins is survived by Jean his wife of nearly 66 years and his three sons Neil, Bill and Tony.