Kernich, Mr J.

Mr KNOLL (Schubert) (15:32): On Monday morning, our community tragically lost a hardworking, well-respected member when fifth-generation farmer Jeff Kernich, who was carrying out his daily duties doing a job that he had done many times, had a freak accident on his farm, Carcoola, in Greenock. Jeff was a member of the Greenock CFS for over 40 years and was an active member of Greenock's St John's Lutheran Church, as well as previously being involved in the Greenock institute, park and community association committees. His family stated on their Jersey Fresh Facebook page:

At 62, Jeff has packed so much into his life and we have been inundated with messages of love and offers of help from this community that he entrenched himself in. We are grateful for each and every offer and message and we apologise if we don't reply straight away.

We will do our best to continue the legacy left by this great man as he instilled his passion for God, Family and Farming into us all.

He was affectionately known to his grandchildren as 'Grumpy' despite grumpy not being in his nature. Carcoola was established by Jeff and his parents Albert and Priscilla Kernich in May 1973. Prior to that, Jeff had worked for the Department of Agriculture as a herd tester. Jersey Fresh was started in 2004 when the deregulation of the dairy industry ended. It is a family oriented business, with wife Erica and children Amy, Paula, Lisa and Mark all working on the farm. They have 180 acres of farm which is landlocked by vineyard. According to Barossa Food, they produce around 1,400 litres of milk every day.

Just last week in an interview with the local newspaper, The Leader, with his characteristic cheeky smile Jeff said, 'We market it as the Barossa's best white. Gee, the grapegrowers love that!' As we approach the Royal Adelaide Show, in which they have been regularly exhibiting since 1982, I wish the Kernich family all the best during this difficult time. Jeff will no doubt be watching over you as you prepare to honour his legacy at the show.

Jeff was a guy I knew pretty well. He was a man who was extremely proud of the fact that he managed to take a dairy farm which was producing milk that was hardly delivering a return to his family and turning it into a diversified enterprise that supplied branded milk to locals in the Barossa. I think around 90 per cent of his production stayed in the Barossa. He was able to support not only his family but also his daughters and their families. That is something that gave him immense joy—the fact that he could keep all his family together and earn an income out of this one business.

Jeff was extremely passionate about the broader dairy industry and also about preserving that farming area as being distinct for farming. He was not far from the outskirts of Greenock, but certainly lived very much in harmony with his neighbours and, indeed, with the land. In fact, the last time I saw Jeff was at the Tanunda Show earlier this year. Jeff was on the microphone as the MC during the goat milking competition, when unsuspecting locals and a few local identities get up and try to milk goats and whoever gets the most milk wins. It is hilarious to watch, and this year was made all the more hilarious by Jeff's commentary. He certainly did not pull any punches in his comments about the conduct that was going on.

I remember Jeff very firmly as a man first and foremost proud about his family and his business. As someone who comes from a family business background, we both understood that these two things are intrinsically linked. He was extremely passionate about his community and his work in Greenock over many decades shows that not only was he an active and well-respected community member but that he was also a man who was very secure in his faith. As someone who I am sure was looking at a long life ahead of him watching his grandchildren grow up, he was certainly not expecting this to come along.

I hope he is resting peacefully and watching down on his family. I know that his faith will carry him through and hopefully he gets the rewards of that. On behalf of the Barossa community, I want to convey our thoughts and prayers to Jeff's wife of 36 years, Erica, and to their children, Amy, Paula, Lisa and Mark and their families, at this difficult time.