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Affectionately known as ‘Grumpy’ because of his resemblance to a certain fairytale dwarf, Trevor King is anything but grumpy in the way he serves his community. A Scout leader in the Melton Victoria Third Branch (small congregation), Trevor has been making a difference in the lives of countless young people through involvement in the Scouting program for some 33 years - since 1985.
Trevor is a familiar face to many in his local community. When young children see him at the local shopping centre, they wave enthusiastically, or run to shake his hand, greeting him by his nickname. He is also a member of the Melton First Ward (congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Ann King, Trevor’s wife has seen the long-term influence her husband has had on the many young people over the years. She expressed, “A lot of kids without a father figure in their home connect with Trevor as a stable and wise presence in their lives".
She recalls an instance when a parent approached Trevor and asked, “What did you do to my son?” Trevor, initially concerned that he might have caused a problem, was surprised when the parent thanked him for his mentoring influence, informing him that their son had surprised himself and his teacher by achieving 96% in a math exam.
The young man had previously been disengaged at school with low self-esteem, however Trevor had seen past the young man's nervous exterior and assigned him as a patrol leader at Scouts, igniting confidence and leadership traits that had been buried beneath the surface.
When asked how he felt about working with the scouts over so many years, Trevor stated, “I get a lot of satisfaction from working with the kids who are the children of scouts I’ve had come through [the Scouting program] years ago, because I can see that scouting has had a positive impact.”
It is this genuine connection with young people that led not only to Trevor's nomination for Citizen of the Year in Melton in 2017, but just recently to a Meritorious Service Award for excellent service to the Scouting Association signed by Chief Scout and Governor-General, General Sir Peter John Cosgrove.
As a "light in his community" Trevor King is no fireworks display, sparkler or spotlight. He is a humble steady glow, emanating from the embers of a campfire, drawing people in from the edge by his genuine warmth and love.
This December millions of people across the globe are serving others in their communities, families and throughout the world as part of the #LightTheWorld initiative. To find out how you can get involved visit LightTheWorld.org