EDWARD JOSEPH KENNY 1863 - 1925
Edward Joseph Kenny was born in 1863 in Port Melbourne. He was the son of Irish emigrants, Daniel and Anne (nee McNamara) who emigrated from County Clare on the “Wanata” in October 1852 with their first two children, James aged 4 and Mary aged 1. Edward Joseph was the fifth of nine children born to Daniel and Anne and was educated at Xavier College, Kew. In his early working life, prior to the land boom of the 1890s’, he was involved in construction contracts around Melbourne in partnership with one of his brothers. The Kenny brothers undertook the construction of a number of the cable tramway lines from the heart of Melbourne out into the suburbs, and some large railway works, especially in the north east of Victoria.
Mr. Kenny arrived in Merbein circa 1909, as ‘Officer in Charge’ of the Merbein Irrigation area, which was then earmarked to become the first State Rivers & Water Supply Commission of Victoria, pumped irrigation district. He was employed by the State Rivers Water Supply Commission (SRWSC), and when he arrived, the Merbein area was known as White Cliffs, after the imposing white cliffs on the Murray River nearby. He pitched his tent adjacent to these white cliffs and using his engineering skills, supervised the forming of the irrigation channels and the erection of the first section of the pumping plant, powered by steam, which lifted the water 100 feet from river level.
Edward Joseph Kenny
Although the area had been identified on an earlier pastoral map of 1863, as ‘Merbein’, it was now officially known as the “White Cliffs Irrigation Settlement, Parish of Merbein”. Confusion with the opal town of White Cliffs in NSW, is said to have caused Kenny to have the fledgling irrigation settlement’s name officially changed to Merbein, although 'Merebin', reputed to be the native name of a local sandhill, was claimed to be the preferred spelling.
The settlement was originally set up to be a dairying area, with settlers growing irrigated lucerne and fodder crops for a dairy herd on a 50 acre irrigated lease which was linked to a 640 acre dryland block in the Wargan - Yelta area on which to run dry stock and grow dry fodder crops. However, the first settlers gradually changed from a mostly, uneconomical, unsuccessful, dairying venture, to the growing of irrigated citrus and grapes for dried fruit and wine production.
In 1912, Kenny recommended a change in the name of the fledgling irrigation settlement. The "White Cliffs Waterworks District" and "White Cliffs Irrigation District“ became the "Merbein Waterworks District" & "Merbein Irrigation Area" respectively.
Under the guidance of Kenny, the Merbein irrigation settlement made excellent progress, gaining a reputation for productivity and became, at that time, the premier irrigation area under the State Rivers Water Supply Commission of Victoria.
The settlement expanded, with additional areas being added to the Merbein settlement. These were the soldier settlements of Birdwoodton No. 1 (1917), West Merbein (1918), Birdwoodton No. 2 (1919), Birdwoodton No.3 (1920-1921) and the Birdwoodton Extension (1919), all allocated in Kenny’s time.
Kenny was a friend and guide to all the soldier settlers and was always an invited guest at every social function of the Merbein Branch of the Returned Soldiers & Sailors Imperial League of Australia (R.S.S.I.L.A.), although the gatherings were for “diggers only”. The Merbein Branch presented Mr. Kenny with a framed Certificate of Merit, one of only three, presented to civilians by the Victorian R.S.S.I.L.A. in recognition of service to returned soldiers.
Mr. Kenny’s genial personality, concern and help for both townspeople and horticulturists were appreciated by all and his advice, intervention and company were continuously sought after by all settlers. Outside his work, he held the positions of Chairman of the Trustees of the Merbein Cemetery, President of the Merbein Rowing Club and was a member of the committee of Management of the Mildura Club.
On several occasions, he secretly helped settlers in trouble, paying funeral expenses and expenditures connected with the continued sickness of some settlers. This financial generosity only came to light after his untimely death on July 18th 1925, as he had insisted that his help remain anonymous.
He died, after a brief illness, in “Trinafour” Private Hospital, Moonee Ponds, having been taken from Merbein to Melbourne suffering heart problems, and to be looked after by his sister, Mrs. McFarlane.
E. J. Kenny was aged 62 years when he died, and had spent much of his working life labouring, unstintingly, for the people of Merbein. Even in his lifetime, Kenny was referred to by settlers as the ‘The Father of Merbein’.
The Merbein Catholic community held him in such high esteem that they erected a “handsome wooden altar” in the school church in his memory when it opened in December, 1927.
His contribution to the establishment of the first SRWSC of Victoria pumped irrigation district and his unselfish support for the whole Merbein community was further recognized with the naming of Kenny Park in his memory only weeks after he died and the establishment of an educational scholarship. The latter, unfortunately, is no longer in existence.
E. J. Kenny Memorial Altar
Compiled by Bernadette Wells 2004
Sources: Sunraysia Daily - August 4 1921 / July 20th 1925 / Dec. 13th 1927 / August 23 1949.
Death Certificate of E. J. Kenny.
Edward Joseph Kenny was born in 1863 in Port Melbourne. He was the son of Irish emigrants, Daniel and Anne (nee McNamara) who emigrated from County Clare on the “Wanata” in October 1852 with their first two children, James aged 4 and Mary aged 1. Edward Joseph was the fifth of nine children born to Daniel and Anne and was educated at Xavier College, Kew. In his early working life, prior to the land boom of the 1890s’, he was involved in construction contracts around Melbourne in partnership with one of his brothers. The Kenny brothers undertook the construction of a number of the cable tramway lines from the heart of Melbourne out into the suburbs, and some large railway works, especially in the north east of Victoria.
Mr. Kenny arrived in Merbein circa 1909, as ‘Officer in Charge’ of the Merbein Irrigation area, which was then earmarked to become the first State Rivers & Water Supply Commission of Victoria, pumped irrigation district. He was employed by the State Rivers Water Supply Commission (SRWSC), and when he arrived, the Merbein area was known as White Cliffs, after the imposing white cliffs on the Murray River nearby. He pitched his tent adjacent to these white cliffs and using his engineering skills, supervised the forming of the irrigation channels and the erection of the first section of the pumping plant, powered by steam, which lifted the water 100 feet from river level.
Edward Joseph Kenny
Although the area had been identified on an earlier pastoral map of 1863, as ‘Merbein’, it was now officially known as the “White Cliffs Irrigation Settlement, Parish of Merbein”. Confusion with the opal town of White Cliffs in NSW, is said to have caused Kenny to have the fledgling irrigation settlement’s name officially changed to Merbein, although 'Merebin', reputed to be the native name of a local sandhill, was claimed to be the preferred spelling.
The settlement was originally set up to be a dairying area, with settlers growing irrigated lucerne and fodder crops for a dairy herd on a 50 acre irrigated lease which was linked to a 640 acre dryland block in the Wargan - Yelta area on which to run dry stock and grow dry fodder crops. However, the first settlers gradually changed from a mostly, uneconomical, unsuccessful, dairying venture, to the growing of irrigated citrus and grapes for dried fruit and wine production.
In 1912, Kenny recommended a change in the name of the fledgling irrigation settlement. The "White Cliffs Waterworks District" and "White Cliffs Irrigation District“ became the "Merbein Waterworks District" & "Merbein Irrigation Area" respectively.
Under the guidance of Kenny, the Merbein irrigation settlement made excellent progress, gaining a reputation for productivity and became, at that time, the premier irrigation area under the State Rivers Water Supply Commission of Victoria.
The settlement expanded, with additional areas being added to the Merbein settlement. These were the soldier settlements of Birdwoodton No. 1 (1917), West Merbein (1918), Birdwoodton No. 2 (1919), Birdwoodton No.3 (1920-1921) and the Birdwoodton Extension (1919), all allocated in Kenny’s time.
Kenny was a friend and guide to all the soldier settlers and was always an invited guest at every social function of the Merbein Branch of the Returned Soldiers & Sailors Imperial League of Australia (R.S.S.I.L.A.), although the gatherings were for “diggers only”. The Merbein Branch presented Mr. Kenny with a framed Certificate of Merit, one of only three, presented to civilians by the Victorian R.S.S.I.L.A. in recognition of service to returned soldiers.
Mr. Kenny’s genial personality, concern and help for both townspeople and horticulturists were appreciated by all and his advice, intervention and company were continuously sought after by all settlers. Outside his work, he held the positions of Chairman of the Trustees of the Merbein Cemetery, President of the Merbein Rowing Club and was a member of the committee of Management of the Mildura Club.
On several occasions, he secretly helped settlers in trouble, paying funeral expenses and expenditures connected with the continued sickness of some settlers. This financial generosity only came to light after his untimely death on July 18th 1925, as he had insisted that his help remain anonymous.
He died, after a brief illness, in “Trinafour” Private Hospital, Moonee Ponds, having been taken from Merbein to Melbourne suffering heart problems, and to be looked after by his sister, Mrs. McFarlane.
E. J. Kenny was aged 62 years when he died, and had spent much of his working life labouring, unstintingly, for the people of Merbein. Even in his lifetime, Kenny was referred to by settlers as the ‘The Father of Merbein’.
The Merbein Catholic community held him in such high esteem that they erected a “handsome wooden altar” in the school church in his memory when it opened in December, 1927.
His contribution to the establishment of the first SRWSC of Victoria pumped irrigation district and his unselfish support for the whole Merbein community was further recognized with the naming of Kenny Park in his memory only weeks after he died and the establishment of an educational scholarship. The latter, unfortunately, is no longer in existence.
E. J. Kenny Memorial Altar
Compiled by Bernadette Wells 2004
Sources: Sunraysia Daily - August 4 1921 / July 20th 1925 / Dec. 13th 1927 / August 23 1949.
Death Certificate of E. J. Kenny.
