MAIDEN, Morton James
| Service Number: | NX37448 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 June 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Tinonee, New South Wales, Australia, 3 December 1913 |
| Home Town: | Tinonee, Greater Taree, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | High School Principal |
| Died: | Cherrybrook, New South Wales, Australia, 19 July 2002, aged 88 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Armidale Teachers' College WW2 Roll of Honour, Parramatta NSW Department of Education Teachers and Trainees WW2 Honour Roll |
World War 2 Service
| 27 Jun 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant, NX37448 | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 May 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant, NX37448 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Belinda Maiden
Morton James Maiden - a scholar and a gentleman
Mort Maiden was the youngest of seven children of Alfred and Ellen (nee Shoebridge) Maiden. He was born in the small Australian country town of Tinonee in New South Wales in December 1913.
Mort's father passed away when Mort was two years old, leaving his mother to run the farm and raise the children on her own. The family didn't have much money, but Ellen and the older children worked hard to keep the farm and send the younger children, including Mort, to school. Mort enjoyed school and, thanks to his mother's and siblings' support, finished school and went to Teacher's College, earning a degree.
Mort enlisted in the Australian Army and achieved the rank of Captain before being medically discharged in 1945. Mort had been injured in WW2 and those injuries plagued him for life; he suffered with back, hip, and leg pain and was left with a limp.
In December 1942, Mort married Dorothy (known as Doss) Hepher in Campbelltown. Mort and Doss had four children.
Mort taught in various schools including Lismore, Gosford and Mudgee, and ended his illustrious career as the first Principal of Carlingford High School.
Mort was a quiet, principled, gentle and kind man who spent much of his free time actively engaged in supporting his local community. He was an intelligent man - a life-long learner - with a great sense of humour who was humble and interested in current events. He and Doss enjoyed some Australian and overseas travel, including to England and South Africa.
Mort (known as MJ to his grandchildren) and Doss spent their retirement years in Epping (Sydney), and then Hawks Nest (coastal NSW). They enjoyed lawn bowls, community services groups like Probus, and regularly engaging with family and friends.
Mort died, aged 88, in a nursing home in Cherrybrook, Sydney - the last of his siblings to pass away. He was survived by his adored and adoring wife, Doss, their four adult children, ten grandchildren, and one (at the time) great-grandchild. The world would be a much better place if more people could have even half as much integrity, intelligence and kindness as MJ Maiden.
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