Victoria Anne Kippin (7 September 1942 – 24 March 2019) was an Australian politician. She was a National Party member of the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

from 1974 to 1980, representing the district of Mourilyan.

Early life

Kippin was born in the north

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

town of

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

. Her parents were Vivian Henry Cox and Enid Parry Trower, who own a grazing property in the

Burdekin The Shire of Burdekin is a local government area located in North Queensland, Australia in the Dry Tropics region. The district is located between Townsville and Bowen in the delta of the Burdekin River. It covers an area of , and has existe ...

district where she was raised. She attended Kalamia and Ayr state schools, St Anne's Church of England Grammar School in

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

and Ayr High School. A foundation student at the University College of Townsville in 1961, she took on pharmacy before transferring to agricultural science in 1962, studying the subject for three years. In 1965, Kippin became a teacher at Fairholme College in

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

. In 1966, she married Norman Edwin James Kippin. The couple had a son and a daughter but would later divorce. From 1964 to 1974, Kippin managed cattle properties and a transport business in north Queensland.

Politics

Kippin was also active in the Country Party, later known as the National Party. She was the party president of the Coast Zone Women's Section and the Zone vice president of the Far Northern Women's Section. Kippin won election to state parliament at the 1974 state election, a landslide victory for the National-Liberal coalition. Elected as the National Party member for Mourilyan, it was the first time a non-

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate had won the seat. Kippin was re-elected for a second term at the 1977 state election, before her defeat at the 1980 state election to Labor candidate Bill Eaton. She stood again as the National Party candidate for Mourilyan at the 1983 state election but failed to win back her old seat. During her time in parliament, Kippin advocated the upgrade of major highways and was recognised for her efforts by the naming of the Vicky Kippin Bridge on the

Palmerston Highway The Palmerston Highway (State Route 25), serves as a link between the southern part of the Atherton Tablelands and the Far North Queensland coastal strip, in Australia. Starting just north of Innisfail, from the Bruce Highway it winds through ...

. She was believed to be favoured by Premier

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...

to become Queensland's first female minister, but this did not eventuate due to her defeat at the 1980 state election. Turning her attention to local government, Kippin served as a Johnstone Shire councillor from 1982 to 1985. She also stood as the National Party candidate for the Townsville-based seat of

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

at the 1984 federal election; not a natural National seat, she lost to incumbent Labor MP

Ted Lindsay Ted Lindsay (born Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay; July 29, 1925 – March 4, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played as a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lindsa ...

Later life

Following her departure from state politics, Kippin won the Commercial Fisherman of the Year Award in 1981 and was elected chairman of the Innisfail Regional Promotion Bureau the same year. In 1984, she became the Queensland Administrator of the Northern Australia Development Council. Kippin later married Shane O'Connor and returned to the family farm. She became the inaugural president of the Zonta Club of Innisfail. Kippin-O'Connor died on 24 March 2019, aged 76.

References

External links

Former Members Bio: Kippin, Victoria Ann (Vicky)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kippin, Vicky 1942 births 2019 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland People from Innisfail, Queensland Women members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly