Kevin Kelly was born in Tallangatta. He spent his childhood on a dairy/beef farm at Jarvis Creek located about 16km from the town before moving to the Rutherglen area.

“I have lived in Rutherglen/Corowa area for 40 years – six years in Wahgunyah, 12 years in Corowa, then moved to a farm at Brimin where we lived for 14 years,” he said.

“Here we had an Angus cattle stud and planted a vineyard growing shiraz grapes and have lived in Rutherglen for the past seven years which is a great community and place to live."

What did you do workwise?

I worked in management of corporate Agribusiness. This included positions with Bunge Australia, Genus plc (UK based company), Amaretto Almonds (ADM Capital) and Macquarie Bank. I’m now retired.

What brought you to your role/career?

I moved to Corowa in 1986 from Lavington to take a position at the Bunge piggery located at Corowa.

What did you love about your work?

My career involved working in a diverse range of large farming operations including pork, grain farms, vineyards, dairy, almonds, and timber enterprises which I found interesting and challenging.

Now that I’m retired, I enjoy bike riding, going to the gym and having 100 acres at Londrigan where I can still pursue my interest in cattle. I also enjoy overseas travel.

What do you do in the community?

I’m president of the Rotary Club of Rutherglen and enjoy the social networking as well as the opportunity to provide support to the local community. I have been a member of Rotary since 2020. Rotary is an excellent way to give back to the community as well as giving fellowship to its members.

Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing?

One of the issues that Rotary Clubs in Australia is focusing on is domestic violence awareness. This includes physical, mental, and financial abuse within families and the elderly. I am a strong advocate for greater awareness in our local community as it is one of the most critical issues that needs to be addressed.

What would you do to solve change, improve that situation?

Promote awareness of domestic violence so there is a much higher level of discussion on the issue at the local level. If people are talking about a problem, we are on the way to finding answers as well as promoting better services for the victims of violence.

What do you see as one of the most important current world issues?

Global instability in the world I see as threatening to be the most impacting in the near future. The risks of the Middle East, Ukraine and Taiwan situations developing and spreading to impact on a large number of people.

If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo Shire (past or present), or was already here, who would that be, what would you show them, and why?

I would like to invite our city centric decision makers to come to the Indigo Shire so that they can see the quality of life enjoyed in the shire’s small regional towns, especially Rutherglen. We have a broad range of excellent cafes, restaurants, and wineries within the shire. Also, there are many water based activities using the Murray, Ovens, and Kiewa rivers. Maybe they would then make decisions that would address some of the regional issues that are currently being ignored.

What book are you reading?

The latest James Patterson fiction ‘Rocket’s Red Glare'.