Henry Devenish Steward, known as Blue, was born in Eaglehawk and attended Bendigo High School.

In the seventies Blue Steward was living in Mt Eliza, partly retired when four young physicians, newly resident, were developing the medical services at Frankston Hospital. Blue attended our inaugural divisional meeting offering much helpful advice. After a couple of meetings he withdrew gracefully as he was not seeking to develop a practice within the hospital. This brief aquaintance was enough to reveal that he had more than an honourable career as a war-time army medical officer behind him.

Blue’s book “Recollections of a Regimental Medical Officer” belied the dry title by revealing a perceptive insight into the difficulties of withdrawing exhausted soldiers with many wounded under fire along the Kokoda Track with no modern support such as transport. The New Guinean men who provided so much assistance are remembered as the “Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels” for their gentleness and loyalty. Altogether the book reveals a man of great energy and strong opinions who did not accept defeat. Anecdotes from the war were followed by those from his work in Europe, at first in Germany to aid in the rehabilitation and re-settlement of "Displaced Persons" from Eastern Europe and later in Italy with the International Refugee Organisation. The common thread was his interest in rehabilitation carried over from the war into the rest of his career. Not until 1966, by then including Franca and their three children, did the Stewards re-settle in Mount Eliza where Blue continued his work with war veterans and others in need of his skills in directing rehabilitation.

Prostatic carcinoma eventually laid this warrior to rest at the age of seventy nine.