William KENNEDY

KENNEDY, WILLIAM (b. Oxley, Vic, 1868; d. Pingelly, WA, 26 April 1929). Baptist minister.

Born the sixth child of farming parents, Kennedy commenced training at the Victorian Baptist College, Melbourne, in 1893. During his training he served as a Home Missioner at Hopetoun, Wimmera North district (1895), Kerang (1896), and also at Hoddle Street Mission (now Abbotsfield Baptist Church), Melbourne. In response to the appeal for help by Rev A S Wilson of Perth at the Victorian Annual Assembly of 1897, Kennedy took up the pastorate of Katanning Baptist Church in February 1898. In May of that year he married Ada Greenslade of Melbourne, the first Baptist wedding in WA. His wife had trained for missionary service at Mrs Warren's Missionary Training Home, Melbourne. Two children were born to the Kennedys, Irene Olive (later the wife of Rev L J Gomm (q.v.), and Norman Stewart, who died of acute enteritis in 1903 at the age of 17 months.

Kennedy had a deep concern for people in developing agricultural districts of the Great Southern region of WA; by means of a horsedrawn Gospel Van and Gospel Tent and in conjunction with Home Missioners he pioneered this work in a number of towns. He held pastorates at Katanning (1898-1901), Boulder City (1901), Narrogin (1902-07, 1909-11 1923-24), Woodanilling (1907-09), Pingelly (1911-13), Midland Junction/Bellevue (1914-15) and during World War One was YMCA chaplain at the Blackboy Hill army camp (1916). In later years deteriorating health curtailed his pastoral involvement, and he spent some five years water divining for farmers in agricultural areas and the hills district.

A preacher of the Gospel, Kennedy was a born leader who enthused others. During his pastorates along the Great Southern line, church buildings were erected at Katanning, Narrogin Woodanilling, Pingelly, and Maracoonda, with Kennedy advocating self-help and personally participating in their physical construction. He encouraged Home Missioners to follow his own practice of maintaining a Christian presence in the community by participating in civic affairs.

L J Gomm, Blazing the Western Trails (Sydney, 1935); R E Galloway, 'William Kennedy, the forgotten pioneer' Westralian Baptist 5:1 (1990)

RUTH E GALLOWAY