Daniel Eric Kent (30 June 1919 – 26 April 2019) was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

in 1970.

Early life

Kent was born at Areegra near

Warracknabeal Warracknabeal ( ) is a wheatbelt town in the Australian state of Victoria. Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek, 330 km north-west of Melbourne, it is the business and services centre of the northern Wimmera and southern Mallee d ...

to Daniel Kent, a wheat and wool grower, and Sophie Elizabeth, ''née'' Menzel. He attended Areegra State School and farmed on the family property until 1949, after which he farmed at Yannathan, first dairy and then beef from 1973. On 18 April 1949 he married Bette Myra Wallis, a journalist, with whom he had three children.

Career

Kent was active in various graziers' associations, including the Victorian Wheat and Woolgrowers Association, the Victorian Dairy Farmers' Association, the Australian Primary Producers' Union and the Victorian Farmers' and Graziers' Association. He was a member of the

Anglican Diocese of Gippsland The Diocese of Gippsland is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, founded in 1902. It is situated in the Gippsland region of the state of Victoria, Australia and covers most of the eastern part of the state. The diocesan cathedral is ...

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

, serving on the Social Responsibilities Committee for 30 years. He was co-author of the history of St John's Anglican Church,

Lang Lang, Victoria Lang Lang is a town in Victoria, Australia, 73 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shires of Bass Coast, Cardinia and South Gippsland local government areas. Lang Lang recorded a population of 2,556 ...

. A life member of the Labor Party, he spent ten years as president of the McMillan federal electorate assembly, contesting the seat himself in 1963 and 1966. In 1970 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for

Gippsland Province Gippsland Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council from November 1882 until 2006. It was based in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Gippsland Province was created in the redistribution of provinces in 1882 wh ...

. He was defeated in 1976, but returned to the Council in 1979 for

Chelsea Province Chelsea Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It existed as a two-member electorate from 1976 to 2006, with members holding alternating eight-year terms. It was a marginal seat throughout its existence, and was won by ...

, serving as Minister of Agriculture from 1982 to 1985. He held the seat until 1985, when he retired.

Honours

Kent was a recipient of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977, and in 2008 was awarded the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

for "service to the community of the Gippsland district through a range of church, historical and sporting groups, and to the Parliament of Victoria." In 2015 the then Bishop of Gippsland,

Kay Goldsworthy Kay Maree Goldsworthy (born 1956) is an Australian bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia. She is the current archbishop of Perth in the Province of Western Australia.ABC Online Upon her installation as archbishop, on 10 February 2018, she ...

, presented him with a certificate marking over 44 years as a member of the Diocesan Synod.

References

1919 births 2019 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Ministers for Agriculture (Victoria) {{Australia-Labor-Victoria-MP-stub