Early life Graham Kennedy

1 life

1.1 childhood
1.2 education
1.3 after school

early life
childhood

kennedy born in camden street, balaclava cyril william kennedy , mary austen kennedy (née scott). kennedy s mother, 18 years old @ time of birth, employed @ local picture theatre. father worked variously engineer , handyman, mowed lawns , washed cars. in 1939 joined raaf air gunner. kennedy s first home small, crowded duplex @ 32 nelson street, balaclava. 20 cm diameter plaque placed on property city of port phillip, coincidentally in week of kennedy s death.

when kennedy 2 years old, parents moved carlisle street, st kilda, 2 years. parents divorced shortly before world war ii , kennedy largely raised grandparents, pop kennedy (who had been electrician @ melbourne s tivoli, royal , bijou theatres) , grandma scott , whom remained particularly close until death. kennedy later said had:

often wished mother , father had never married. wasn t enamoured of either of them [...] betrayed me [...] divorce not fun little nine-year-old [...]

after kennedy s death, article in bulletin friend , colleague john mangos recorded that:

... talk violent arguments between parents, how gravitated grandmother s bosom, 2 uncles ( 1 fought germans, other fought japs ) , how 1 of them took liberties boy. graham never resented him, claiming equated affection.

education

kennedy educated firstly @ euston college (which no longer exists) on corner of chapel , carlisle streets, secondly @ caulfield north central school (now caulfield junior college) , @ melbourne high school, south yarra.

in 1977, kennedy chaired project raise funds improvements @ melbourne high raised more $100,000 in first year.

after school

during school break in 1949, kennedy worked in uncle s hairdressing shop @ 475 collins street, met clients worked in same building radio australia shortwave service of australian broadcasting commission. offered, , accepted, job news runner collins street abc studios in lonsdale street. shortly thereafter joined radio station 3uz, working in station s record library.