Ronald Wilfred Kitney (14 July 1918 – 29 March 2011) was an Australian farmer and politician who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

from 1968 to 1971, representing the seat of Blackwood. Kitney was born in

Donnybrook, Western Australia Donnybrook is a town situated between Boyanup and Kirup on the South Western Highway, south of Perth, Western Australia. The town is the centre of apple cultivation in Western Australia. The town is also known for its picturesque abundance o ...

, to Clara (née Nicholls) and Frank Sidney Kitney. He left school at the age of 14 to work on his family's orchard in Beelerup. In 1942, Kitney enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He served with the

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

and 42nd Battalions in the

South-West Pacific Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

, reaching the rank of lieutenant by the war's end. He returned to his orchard after the war, and became prominent in fruit-growing circles.Ronald Wilfred Kitney
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 14 July 2016. Kitney entered parliament at the 1968 state election, unexpectedly defeating the sitting

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

member in Blackwood,

John Hearman John Merrifield Hearman CMG (10 November 1910 – 20 February 1994) was an Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1950 to 1968, representing the seat of Blackwood. He served ...

, who was also the sitting

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures in Australia, and in provincial and terr ...

. However, he remained in parliament for only a single term before retiring. The year after leaving parliament, Kitney moved to Lesmurdie, on the outskirts of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. He worked as a fruit inspector with the

Department of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

for a period, and with his wife also ran a garden centre in Kalamunda. Kitney died in March 2011, aged 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitney, Ron 1918 births 2011 deaths Australian orchardists Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from Donnybrook, Western Australia Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army officers