The answer can be found in the Seymour Pioneer Cemetery.
Edward 'Hugh' Buggy, a local lad with an extraordinary future ahead, was born in 1896 in the small town of Seymour.
When his father, John Buggy, died suddenly in 1916, the young Buggy moved with his mother Margaret to Melbourne.
After getting his first taste of journalism at The South Melbourne Record, he joined The Argus in 1917.
Buggy's unwavering passion and vibrant personality quickly set him apart, earning him a reputation as one of the most dedicated journalists of his time.
His fearless pursuit of stories thrust him into the epicentre of history, from the shocking royal abdication to a chilling face-to-face encounter with Adolf Hitler himself.
A natural-born reporter, he served as deputy news editor of the Sydney Sun, but preferred to be near the action.
Following the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, he was the only reporter to interview gatecrasher Captain Francis de Groot.
He was a highly respected writer on sport, particularly football and cricket, as well as the theatre.
Buggy's exceptional career earned him places in both the Australian Media Hall of Fame and the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
He even left his mark on cricket history, coining the term ‘bodyline’ during the infamous Ashes series.
However, Buggy's true journalistic passion lay in covering crime and social unrest.
Furthermore, he reported on the tumultuous Melbourne police strike of 1923, which led to unprecedented chaos in the city’s streets.
He reported on the fatal shoot-out between Squizzy Taylor and Snowy Cutmore in 1927, covered more than 200 murder investigations and 83 murder trials and attended nine hangings.
In his career, Buggy worked with The South Melbourne Record, The Argus, Melbourne Sun News-Pictorial, Melbourne Evening Sun, Sydney Sun and The Melbourne Herald.
During World War II, Buggy's journalistic prowess was harnessed for national security as chief operational censor under General Douglas MacArthur. Post-war, he continued to mould public opinion as an influential editor at Radio Australia.
He later worked for suburban newspapers in Oakleigh, Footscray and Dandenong and contributed to the Catholic newspaper The Advocate, as well as working as chief court reporter for Truth.
Buggy’s talent extended beyond reporting. He lent his pen to aviation legends Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith and Charles Ulm, ghostwriting their thrilling account of the 1928 trans-Pacific flight.
He also wrote Pacific Victory, in his own name, The Real John Wren, Let’s Look at Football and Murder Book.
Buggy's passion for journalism burned bright until his last breath, leaving behind an awe-inspiring legacy: 300 books brimming with newspaper clippings, each volume a chapter in his extraordinary life story.
Hugh Buggy died following a heart attack in 1974.
He was the last person to be buried in the Seymour Pioneer Cemetery, alongside his mother and father.
— This article was submitted by the Seymour and District Historical Society.
