Eric Kent

{{Short description|Australian politician (1919–2019)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} {{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Eric Kent | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100|OAM}} | image = Eric Kent.jpg | image_upright = | alt = Photograph of Eric Kent | caption = The Hon Daniel Eric Kent OAM in April 2011 | office = Minister for Agriculture | term_start = 8 April 1982 | term_end = 14 March 1985 | predecessor = Tom Austin | successor = Evan Walker | office1 = Member of the Victorian Legislative Council | term_start1 = 30 May 1970 | term_end1 = 19 March 1976 | predecessor1 = Arthur Hewson | successor1 = James Allister Taylor | constituency1 = Gippsland Province | term_start2 = 5 May 1979 | term_end2 = 14 July 1985 | successor2 = Maureen Lyster | constituency2 = Chelsea Province | birth_name = Daniel Eric Kent | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1919|6|30}} | birth_place = Areegra, Victoria, Australia | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2019|4|26|1919|6|30}} | death_place = | party = Labor | spouse = {{Marriage|Bette Wallis|18 April 1949}} | children = Three | occupation = Farmer and grazier }} '''Daniel Eric Kent''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM}} (30 June 1919 – 26 April 2019)<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://tributes.theage.com.au/obituaries/theage-au/obituary.aspx?n=daniel-eric-kent-oam&pid=192731328|title=Daniel Eric Kent OAM|date=29 April 2019|work=The Age|access-date=29 April 2019}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council in 1970.

== Early life == Kent was born at Areegra near Warracknabeal to Daniel Kent, a wheat and wool grower, and Sophie Elizabeth, ''née'' Menzel. He attended Areegra State School and farmed on the family property until 1949, after which he farmed at Yannathan, first dairy and then beef from 1973. On 18 April 1949 he married Bette Myra Wallis, a journalist, with whom he had three children.

== Career == Kent was active in various graziers' associations, including the Victorian Wheat and Woolgrowers Association, the Victorian Dairy Farmers' Association, the Australian Primary Producers' Union and the Victorian Farmers' and Graziers' Association.

He was a member of the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland Synod, serving on the Social Responsibilities Committee for 30 years.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gg.gov.au/australian-honours-lists/australia-day-2008-honours-list|title=Australia Day 2008 Honours List|date=2012-04-24|website=www.gg.gov.au|language=en|access-date=2018-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020002458/http://www.gg.gov.au/australian-honours-lists/australia-day-2008-honours-list|archive-date=20 October 2018}}</ref> He was co-author of the history of St John's Anglican Church, Lang Lang, Victoria.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/7026160|title=Beams of light: 125 years of the Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist, Lang Lang|last=Kent|first=D. Eric|last2=Kent|first2=Bette M|last3=St. John's Anglican Church (Lang Lang|first3=Vic.)|date=1999|publisher=Lang Lang, Vic. : St John's Anglican Church|isbn=0-9592834-1-2|language=en}}</ref>

A life member of the Labor Party, he spent ten years as president of the McMillan federal electorate assembly, contesting the seat himself in 1963 and 1966. In 1970 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for Gippsland Province. He was defeated in 1976, but returned to the Council in 1979 for Chelsea Province, serving as Minister of Agriculture from 1982 to 1985.<ref name=":0" /> He held the seat until 1985, when he retired.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kent, (Daniel) Eric|publisher=Parliament of Victoria|year=2001|url=http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=1203|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823032658/http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=1203|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 August 2006|access-date=30 September 2011}}</ref>

== Honours == Kent was a recipient of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977,<ref>{{Cite periodical |date=1 August 1977|title=Silver Jubilee awards|url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/file/1977P07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710041817/https://www.legislation.gov.au/file/1977P07 |archive-date=2018-07-10 |periodical=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette|number=P 7|page=35}}</ref> and in 2008 was awarded the Order of Australia for "service to the community of the Gippsland district through a range of church, historical and sporting groups, and to the Parliament of Victoria."<ref name=":0" />

In 2015 the then Bishop of Gippsland, Kay Goldsworthy, presented him with a certificate marking over 44 years as a member of the Diocesan Synod.

==References== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Tom Austin}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Agriculture|years=1982–1985}} {{s-aft|after=Evan Walker}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Eric}} Category:1919 births Category:2019 deaths Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Category:Ministers for agriculture (Victoria)