John Ormond Kennedy

John Ormond Kennedy is an Australian politician and factionally non-aligned member of the Australian Labor Party. He was elected as member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in November 2018, representing the seat of Hawthorn.

John Ormond Kennedy MP
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Hawthorn
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 November 2018
Preceded by	John Pesutto
Personal details
Born	John Ormond Kennedy 1947/1948 (age 72–73) Sydney
Political party	Labor Party
Residence	Hawthorn, Melbourne
Alma mater	University of Sydney, University of Melbourne
Occupation	Teacher, Principal

Kennedy succeeded incumbent Liberal MP John Pesutto in November 2018. He is only the second Labor member ever to win this traditional blue-ribbon Liberal seat, and the first in 63 years.

Kennedy worked as a teacher before entering politics, and served as the founding principal of Loyola College for nearly thirty years (1979-2008).[1] He stood in the 2013 federal election for the blue-ribbon Liberal seat of Kooyong, losing to Liberal incumbent Josh Frydenberg.

Kennedy is a member of ABC Friends (previously Friends of the ABC),The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc, Labor for Refugees, and Labor for a Republic and a monthly contributor to Médecins Sans Frontières and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Career

Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, Bachelor of Education from the University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Theology from the United Faculty of Theology of the Melbourne College of Divinity and a Master of Educational Leadership from Australian Catholic University.

Kennedy began his career as a teacher at St. Ignatius College from 1969 to 1975 while working as Assistant Housemaster at Sydney Church of England Grammar School from 1970 to 1975. From 1976 to 1979 he resided at St Mary's College (Melbourne University) in the part-time position as Dean of Studies while also serving as Deputy Principal of St. Columba's College.

Kennedy graduated from the Sydney University Squadron as a Pilot Officer in 1970 and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in RAAF Active Reserve in 1978. 

Kennedy served as the founding Principal of Loyola College, working at the school from 1979 to 2008.

Kennedy worked as a consultant for non-profit organisations, including work in leadership, governance and management in the education sector before being elected to Victorian Parliament in November 2018.

Personal life

Kennedy was born in Sydney in 1947, attended Loreto Convent Kirribilli in 1953–55 and St Aloysius College in 1956–65 and moved to Melbourne in 1976.

Kennedy lives in the eastern suburb of Hawthorn with his wife Bronwyn Lane, and has two children and one grandchild.

Kennedy commutes on public transport, as he has never obtained his drivers’ licence.[2][3][4]

References

1. Green, Antony (2018). "Hawthorn". Victorian State Election 2018. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
2. Preiss, Benjamin. "Meet the retired school principal who seized blue-ribbon Liberal seat Hawthorn". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
3. Williams, Edwina. "Hawthorn – Labor: John Kennedy". The Junction. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
4. "At 73, I have never driven a car. So as you can imagine, I know a thing or two about public transport. I was delighted to speak in support of the Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2020, one which enhances a very good public transport system in Victoria". Facebook. John Kennedy MP. Retrieved 4 January 2021.