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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-10-17 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Kenihan, Mr Q.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (16:11): I move:

That this council expresses its deep regret at the death of Quentin Kenihan, and pays tribute to his significant contribution to the South Australian community.

It was with shock and sadness that South Australia woke up to the news that Quentin Kenihan had passed away on the weekend of 7 October. Quentin was well known to so many of us, whether or not we had met him personally.

The Premier has described Quentin as one of South Australia's favourite sons. He was also genuinely a local Adelaide celebrity, given that most people knew him immediately by sight and, of course, need only refer to him by his first name, a la Kylie or Madonna.

My first memories of Quentin will be similar to many people: that remarkable interview he did with journalist Mike Willesee when he was aged just seven years old. Quentin's responses throughout the interview were witty, demonstrated a wisdom beyond his years, and at times were quite cheeky. His performance made him a household name.

Through his own account, his journey to adulthood was challenging, but he pulled himself out of the dark times, got a job and pursued his passion in the arts, particularly film, comedy and television. He even wrote a book about it, entitled Not All Superheroes Wear Capes. He appeared on the Midday show and The Panel and had his own television show Quentin Crashes. To celebrate his 40th birthday he put on a Fringe show, Quentin, I'm 40…Now What?

Many people will recall his film reviews on local radio. He developed his own rating system by awarding a certain number of 'claws', which I must admit I never quite got the grasp of, but I always enjoyed those contributions as I admired his analytical approach to the reviews and the fact that he did not hold back in any way.

The highlight of his career was his pivotal appearance as the character Corpus Colossus in the George Lucas blockbuster, Mad Max: Fury Road, alongside Charlize Theron. He attended the Oscars, was a personal friend of Russell Crowe and has been photographed with Angelina Jolie and Samuel L. Jackson. Not bad for a boy from Adelaide!

I have deliberately avoided referring to Quentin's disability so far. Quentin showed us that disability could not get in the way of his life. Quentin was born with a congenital condition, osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as brittle bone disease. He was born with eight broken bones and he was to suffer many more throughout his lifetime. He got about in a motorised wheelchair, and he was well recognised as he hooned about the streets of Adelaide.

He put up his hand for the upcoming Adelaide city council elections, and had been out campaigning in the days leading up his death. In his platform was his desire to see an inclusive playground in the city, which is something that has been embraced by both levels of government and which we look forward to progressing with the newly-elected council.

Quentin was indeed an ambassador for South Australia's first inclusive playground, the Hendrie Street playground in Parkholme. There are many elements to the playground, which took several years to come to fruition. Quentin was instrumental in the development of a wheelchair-accessible track. The park's description on the City of Marion council's website describes it rather mildly as:

A ramped and twisting 40m bike track…in the north-western corner of the playground. The ramped and hilly mounds make this circuit a more challenging-than average track.

However, I think Quentin's brief would have been more about providing for risk-taking for wheelchair users. As a state and as a community, I hope that our vision for people with disabilities will continue to extend through initiatives such as inclusive playgrounds and providing purpose-built homes for people with disability, especially as South Australia comes into the full scheme of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The Disability Inclusion Act, started by the former government and the first piece of legislation passed under the new government, has at its heart full citizenship for people with disabilities. Each government agency and local governments in this state will all be required to produce disability action and inclusion plans. Implementation of inclusion in all of the spaces that we share will ensure that people with disabilities are able to lead their most fulfilling lives through exercising their choices.

A commemorative service will be held on Sunday 28 October, which will be jointly hosted by the South Australian government and the Adelaide city council. In the words of Quentin's sister, Sia, he would have wanted a big celebration. Our thoughts at this time are with his family, friends and many fans.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (16:16): I thank the honourable member for her contribution and for bringing this to our chamber. It was a sad day for South Australia when Quentin Kenihan passed away. We lost a true community advocate. I did not have the pleasure of knowing Quentin personally but, like other South Australians, I knew of Quentin through his appearances in public advocacy, both on and off the screen.

Quentin first came to the attention of South Australians when, as a child, he defied medical boundaries when it became clear that brittle bone disease would make life almost impossible to bear. Honourable members may have seen Mike Willesee's 1982 documentary, which introduced him to Australia. It showed that Quentin was determined, from a young age, to not let brittle bone disease define him. Many would struggle to achieve what Quentin did in his crowded 43 years, where he became not only an advocate of bringing down barriers but a change maker.

Quentin was an actor, writer, commentator, disability advocate and of course a champion for the vulnerable in our community. Quentin's wit and unique take on life was adored by Australians. It is nothing but commendable when a person can turn adversity into positive change for others. Quentin was taking on his next challenge of inspiring and taking down barriers by running as a candidate in the City of Adelaide council election. Among the many flyers filling up my letterbox, I was warmed to receive Quentin's, as I am sure were many in the community.

He highlighted the need to address safety by add[atholoyressing traffic issues, pedestrian and motorist safety, homelessness, violence in nightclub areas and much more. It is a loss to the Adelaide community that Quentin's next challenge was cut short. His passing came as a shock to his close friends because he had often been in hospital and had previously been sicker than he was this time. It is important that we remember, as Quentin has taught us, that challenges are not barriers.

On behalf of the opposition in the Legislative Council, I welcome the government's endorsement of Quentin's call for an accessible play space. That is a win for Quentin, and it is also a win for vulnerable South Australians. To his friends and carers, to his parents Myles and Kerry and to his extended family, we offer our sincere condolences and our thanks for his unique wit and contribution to our community.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (16:19): I thank the honourable member for bringing this matter forward. I will speak just briefly, off-the-cuff, about my experiences with Quentin. I actually knew Quentin's parents, particularly his dad, who was a journalist at The Advertiser many years ago. He was a very smart and intelligent bloke, and a very good writer as well. He clearly passed on his talents to his son, Quentin.

When Quentin passed away, I remember feeling a sense of shock about it, because only a few weeks before I had sent him a message wishing him all the best for his candidacy for the Adelaide city council. I thought he would do a great job for it. It started to remind me about what a brave little bloke he was. In fact, he is probably the bravest person that I have met, because of what he had to endure for 43 years.

I do not think many people realise the sort of pain that Quentin had to endure because of his condition, the brittle bones condition. He was often in and out of hospital, but he would always have a very positive outlook on life when you bumped into him. If he was in the street with his wheelchair, there was always a smile on his face; he was very chirpy. He could be grumpy; I remember there were some times when he could be grumpy.

Quentin was also a bloke who, despite his disability, loved life. He lived life as if he was an ordinary person, an ordinary bloke, growing up. He loved a drink at one point, and of course he had to battle his own demons as a result of that. He certainly loved the social life, and you would often see him in the city scooting around and really enjoying himself.

I want to get back to his talents. For a guy who had to face so many challenges in his life, Quentin was able to achieve so much. He could write. He prepared a production for the Fringe, which was quite successful. He contributed to so many things. He was very active in the disabled community, as the Hon. Michelle Lensink pointed out regarding the disability playground. I remember when we were at Today Tonight we were approached by Quentin and others who wanted to get some support for this. He was so passionate about ensuring that kids who had disabilities would not miss out on the fun. One thing that always strikes me about Quentin's life is that he tried to have fun.

I remember we had him in the studio. It may have been when the nominations were announced for Mad Max. Of course, Quentin had a bit role in that. I think you may well have read in the newspapers and in the column by Matt Abraham that he was going to be killed off so many times, but the producer decided to keep Quentin in there.

We had Quentin in the studio and we had a great little chat afterwards, and he was certainly looking forward to Hollywood and the Oscars. Then he whispered in my ear, 'I've got a secret for you.' I said, 'What's that?' He said, 'The producer of the movie is going to make another one. He is going to make another Mad Max.' I said, 'That's fantastic. What about you? Are you going to be in it?' He said, 'Yes, yes. He has a role for me. I am really looking forward to it.'

Of course, we saw those scenes where he made his way there. Again, it showed the spirit of the guy, that nothing could stop Quentin doing what he wanted to do in life and achieving so many things. I think he himself would admit that he was quite lucky and fortunate to get to 43 years of age, but what a life Quentin has led and what a legacy he has left for a lot of people who knew him. He will not be forgotten. I think it is great that the Premier has announced that they will find funding for the playground, and in fact that it will also be named after him.

He deserves to be feted. He has managed to do a lot of good for a lot of people in the community, particularly in the disabled community. I think he was one of the little icons of Adelaide. It is strange to think that he is not still here, because we always expected that Quentin would still be with us somehow and we would always see him. What pleases me the most is that his memory lives on, and it will continue to live on with that playground. I send his family condolences on behalf of myself and also my colleague Connie Bonaros, and I thank the member for the condolence motion today.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. T.J. Stephens.

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