Victoria Anne Kippin (7 September 1942 – 24 March 2019) was an Australian politician. She was a

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

member of the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

from 1974 to 1980, representing the district of Mourilyan.

Early life

Kippin was born in the north

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

town of

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. Her parents were Vivian Henry Cox and Enid Parry Trower, who own a grazing property in the Burdekin district where she was raised. She attended Kalamia and Ayr state schools, St Anne's Church of England Grammar School in

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

and Ayr High School. A foundation student at the University College of Townsville in 1961, she took on pharmacy before transferring to agricultural science in 1962, studying the subject for three years. In 1965, Kippin became a teacher at Fairholme College in

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

. In 1966, she married Norman Edwin James Kippin. The couple had a son and a daughter but would later divorce. From 1964 to 1974, Kippin managed cattle properties and a transport business in north Queensland.

Politics

Kippin was also active in the Country Party, later known as the National Party. She was the party president of the Coast Zone Women's Section and the Zone vice president of the Far Northern Women's Section. Kippin won election to state parliament at the 1974 state election, a landslide victory for the National-Liberal coalition. Elected as the

member for Mourilyan, it was the first time a non-

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candidate had won the seat. Kippin was re-elected for a second term at the 1977 state election, before her defeat at the 1980 state election to Labor candidate Bill Eaton. She stood again as the National Party candidate for Mourilyan at the 1983 state election but failed to win back her old seat. During her time in parliament, Kippin advocated the upgrade of major highways and was recognised for her efforts by the naming of the Vicky Kippin Bridge on the

Palmerston Highway The Palmerston Highway (State Route 25) connects the Cassowary Coast Region, Cassowary Coast coastal strip to the southern part of the Tablelands Region, in Far North Queensland, Australia. Route The highway splits from the Bruce Highway ...

. She was believed to be favoured by Premier

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as premier of Queensland between 1968 and 1987, for almost 20 years, as state leader of the National Party (earlier known as the C ...

to become Queensland's first female minister, but this did not eventuate due to her defeat at the 1980 state election. Turning her attention to local government, Kippin served as a Johnstone Shire councillor from 1982 to 1985. She also stood as the National Party candidate for the Townsville-based seat of Herbert at the 1984 federal election; not a natural National seat, she lost to incumbent Labor MP

Ted Lindsay Robert Blake Theodore Lindsay (July 29, 1925 – March 4, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played as a forward for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lindsay scored over 800 ...

Later life

Following her departure from state politics, Kippin won the Commercial Fisherman of the Year Award in 1981 and was elected chairman of the Innisfail Regional Promotion Bureau the same year. In 1984, she became the Queensland Administrator of the Northern Australia Development Council. Kippin later married Shane O'Connor and returned to the family farm. She became the inaugural president of the Zonta Club of Innisfail. Kippin-O'Connor died on 24 March 2019, aged 76.

References

External links

Former Members Bio: Kippin, Victoria Ann (Vicky)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kippin, Vicky 1942 births 2019 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland People from Innisfail, Queensland Women members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly People from Ayr, Queensland