Editing Jeff Kennett (section)

== Early life ==
The son of Kenneth Munro Gibb Kennett (1921–2007), and Wendy Anne Kennett (1925–2006; née Fanning),<ref>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22418757 Four Weddings at School Chapel: Kennett—Fanning, ''The Argus'', (Thursday, 3 April 1947), p.6] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121072311/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22418757 |date=21 January 2018 }}; [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206023071 Weddings Celebrated, ''The Age'', (Thursday, 3 April 1947), p.5.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121184554/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206023071 |date=21 January 2018 }}</ref> he was born in [[Melbourne]] on 2 March 1948.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22555339 |title=Births: Kennett, ''The Argus'', (Wednesday, 3 march 1948), p.2. |access-date=21 January 2018 |archive-date=21 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121125737/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22555339 |url-status=live }}</ref> He attended [[Scotch College, Melbourne|Scotch College]];<ref>Nick Economou, 'Jeff Kennett: The Larrikin Metropolitan', in Paul Strangio and Brian Costar (eds), ''The Victorian Premiers: 1856–2006'', Annandale: Federation Press, 2006, p.365.</ref> and, although an unexceptional student academically, he did well in the school's Cadet Corps Unit. He also played football (on the wing) for the school.<ref>[http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/jeff-kennett-has-a-few-kicks-before-the-siren/news-story/ccfb1a1034c72a67a06ef0fad33f2285 Crawford, S., "Jeff Kennett has a few kicks before the siren", ''The Sunday Herald Sun'', 4 September 2011.]{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> His failure to rise above the middle band academically almost led him to quit school in Fourth Form (Year 10 – 1963), but he was persuaded to stay on. His Fifth and Sixth Forms were an improvement, but he was still described in school reports as "[a] confident and at times helpful boy.  Sometimes irritates.  Sometimes works hard" (1964), and "[a] keen, pleasant, though sometimes erratic boy" (1965).<ref>Tony Parkinson, ''Jeff: The Rise and Fall of a Political Phenomenon'', Ringwood: Penguin, 2000, p.19.</ref>

After leaving school, Kennett was persuaded by his father Ken to attend the [[Australian National University]] in [[Canberra]], but lost interest and left after one year of an economics degree. He returned to [[Melbourne]] and found work in the advertising department of the retail giant [[Myer]] – kindling an interest for advertising that would one day earn him his living.<ref>Parkinson, ''Jef'', pp.22–23.</ref>

Kennett's life in the regular workforce was cut short when, in 1968, he was [[conscription|conscripted]] into the [[Australian Army]].<ref>Parkinson, ''Jef'', p.24.</ref> Kennett was selected for officer training and graduated third in his class from the [[Officer Training Unit, Scheyville]] (OTU), near [[Windsor, New South Wales]], outside [[Sydney]]. He was posted to [[Malaysia]] and [[Singapore]] as Second Lieutenant, commander of 1st Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR).<ref>Parkinson, ''Jeff'', pp.25, 29.</ref> This military career (and his earlier experience in the Scotch College Cadet Corps) has been noted by many biographers as an essential formative influence on the adult Kennett's character. His sense and regard for hierarchical loyalty, punctuality, and general intolerance of dissent or disobedience may be traced to this period.<ref>Economou, 'Jeff Kennett', pp.365–366.</ref>

Kennett returned to civilian life in 1970, reentering a divided Australian society, split by the [[Vietnam War]], of which Kennett was a firm supporter. Having returned to Myer, Kennett became impatient with his work, and so with Ian Fegan and Eran Nicols, he formed his own advertising company (KNF) in June 1971.<ref>Parkinson, ''Jeff'', p.36.</ref>

Thereafter, in December 1972, Kennett married Felicity Kellar, an old friend whom he had first met on a Number 69 tram on the long trips to school.<ref>Neales, S., "Jeff's Friend Flicka", ''The Good Weekend'', 2 November 1996, pp.30–33.</ref> Their first son was born in 1974, followed by a daughter and two more sons.