Ronald Wilfred Kitney (14 July 1918 – 29 March 2011) was an Australian farmer and politician who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1968 to 1971, representing the seat of Blackwood. Kitney was born in

Donnybrook, Western Australia Donnybrook is a town situated between Boyanup, Western Australia, Boyanup and Kirup, Western Australia, Kirup on the South Western Highway, south of Perth, Western Australia. The town is the centre of apple cultivation in Western Australia. Th ...

, to Clara (née Nicholls) and Frank Sidney Kitney. He left school at the age of 14 to work on his family's orchard in Beelerup. In 1942, Kitney enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He served with the

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

and 42nd Battalions in the

South-West Pacific Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

, reaching the rank of lieutenant by the war's end. He returned to his orchard after the war, and became prominent in fruit-growing circles.Ronald Wilfred Kitney
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 14 July 2016. Kitney entered parliament at the 1968 state election, unexpectedly defeating the sitting

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member in Blackwood, John Hearman, who was also the sitting

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures in Australia, and in provincial and ter ...

. However, he remained in parliament for only a single term before retiring. The year after leaving parliament, Kitney moved to Lesmurdie, on the outskirts of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. He worked as a fruit inspector with the Department of Agriculture for a period, and with his wife also ran a garden centre in Kalamunda. Kitney died in March 2011, aged 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitney, Ron 1918 births 2011 deaths Australian orchardists Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from Donnybrook, Western Australia Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army officers