Obituary
John (Jack) Kitchen JP, OAM.
1923 – 2015
IT’S not every day that a local television station requests permission to interview someone on their 90th birthday.
When the crew arrived at the Boyanup resident’s home – perhaps expecting to see the family clustered around a chair at a birthday afternoon tea – they were in for a big surprise.
The active 90-year old dairy farmer was charging around a paddock on his quad bike, rounding up the milking herd.
Long-term Boyanup resident Jack Kitchen passed away last week at the age of 92, after what many have described as an amazing life.
Mr Kitchen lived and farmed in Boyanup for the whole of his life, apart from two years in the Australian Army.
According to his family, he had never wanted to do anything else other than dairy farming and until this year, continued with his passion of working around the farm on a daily basis.
Born into a farming family living in Joshua Brook in 1923 and always known as Jack, his memory served him well throughout his active life.
At one of his many 90th birthday celebrations, he admitted that Boyanup held a special place in his heart and he had some wonderful memories from as long ago as 1928, when he recalled cycling to and from the Boyanup Primary School because there was no such thing as a school bus in those days.
In 1951 he married a local girl in St George’s Anglican Church in Boyanup, where he continued to worship for the remainder of his life.
He said he enjoyed being on numerous committees over the years and also playing an active role in many local projects.
As well as serving as a Capel Shire councillor for 42 years, he was an active Justice of the Peace and received a medal form the Local Government Association of WA for long service to the community.
In 2005 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services rendered to the community, the dairy industry and local government.
At a Parliamentary sitting that year, Member for Collie Mick Murray presented a speech that honoured Mr Kitchen.
“I bring to the attention of the House a remarkable achievement of Mr Jack Kitchen, a gentleman from Boyanup. Mr Kitchen recently retired as a shire councillor after serving the Capel shire for 42 years. He joined the Capel Shire Council in 1959 and retired in 2001. During his 42 years as a councillor, he was president for three years and also found time to serve as a control officer in the local bushfire brigade, and in his spare time, helped to write the history of Capel in the book, ‘Just a horse ride away’ a history of the Shire of Capel and its people,” Mr Murray said.
“Jack joined the council because he believed he had a lucky life and therefore, should put a little back into his community - something he wishes more people would consider doing in today’s society. Mr Kitchen is well known for his efforts in trying to upgrade the services in his community and proudly watched as the shire acquired new council chambers, a $500,000 community hall in Boyanup, new aged care units and a centralised South West cattle saleyard, much of which was achieved due to Jack’s vision and energy.
“One will find many examples of people just like Jack Kitchen in most country towns, but not many who have worked for their communities as long as Jack. I am sure that all members of the House will today join me in congratulating him on a fine community effort.”
Mr Kitchen will be remembered for many reasons, not the least for his contribution to the town of Boyanup.
A funeral service will be held in St George’s Anglican Church on South Western Highway at 11am on Thursday July 2, followed by a burial at the Boyanup Cemetery.
