User:Hmusovich/sandbox

Haji Avdo Musovich was a notable Montenegrin sailor and Vice president and long serving committee member of the New Zealand Muslim Association.

Early life
Avdo Mušović was born in Rasavo, Montenegro, on 26 January 1919, the son of Hamo and Bega. His family were descended from a Turkish governor of the territory, the Sandžak of Novibazar (a former Ottoman district currently divided between Serbia and Montenegro) during the Ottoman period. His mother Bega Mušović (Muslić) died only three days after his birth. His uncle on his mothers side, Began Muslić, took him to his village of Sahovici (now Tomasevo) where he was looked after by his mothers sister Sedva Sahović, amongst her own children. Avdo's father soon remarried, to his dead wifes cousin, Naja Muslić, with whom he had 3 more children.

At the age of five in 1924, Avdo was a witness to the Šahovići massacre, where hundreds of men were killed by a mob of Orthadox Christians. His Godfather, a Postmaster, gave a warning and Avdo's father and uncle (fathers brother) escaped into the woods, while Avdo was hidden in the postmaster's loft. A 1992 Auckland newspaper interview detailed his account of the massacre:

"I saw blood everywhere. Terrible. And I started screaming. One woman came over and said ‘You little devil. What are you doing here? The people are mad’. And with a stick she gave me a hiding and she took me back to the post office."

After the massacre Avdo moved to Blijelo Polje with his Father and Step-Mother and their children

Family Life
Avdo Musovich married Sadika Dilberović from Mekavci, Herzegovina in 1950 and they had three children:


 * Miralem Musovich (b.1951) RNZAF, RAAF
 * Ramzi Musovich(b.1964)
 * Suad Musovich (b.1968)

Death
Avdo died on November 16th 2001 at his home aged 82, because of a long illness.

Medals
Avdo received medals for his service in the Turkish Navy, however these have been lost and it is currently unknown what they were.