‘Live like someone left the gate open’: 91-year-old Kenny Stephens kayak quest for kids with Epidermolysis Bullosa

At 91 Kenny Stephens is finally living his dream of kayaking the entire River Murray while raising funds for a charity close to his heart.

After years of delays, 91-year-old Kenny Stephens will finally fulfil his dream of kayaking the entire length of the River Murray while raising funds for a cause close to his heart.

He will restart the final leg of his paddle to the Murray Mouth from Wellington on Sunday after rough conditions on Lake Alexandrina, then Covid, cut his first attempt short in 2020.

Now after bushfires, floods and a global pandemic, he is more determined than ever to complete the 2500km journey.

“I promised myself all the way down through bushfires and floods, pulling my kayak over shallows, that I’ll dip the kayak in the Southern Ocean and I’m just honouring that promise,” he said.

91-year-old kayaker Kenny Stephens will finally complete his epic fundraiser for Epidermolysis Bullosa – from Wellington to the Murray Mouth. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Kenny Stevens will finish his journey at the Murray Mouth by dipping his kayak into the Southern Ocean. Picture: Matt Loxton

Mr Stephens started his journey in the NSW town of Bringenbrong in late October, 2019, kayaking for more than two months to reach the Murray mouth.

He arrived in SA in February 2020, before forces beyond his control prevented him from going any further.

At home, Mr Stephens has a whiteboard with his goals, including the quote: ‘live like someone’s left the gate open’ which has become his life mantra.

“I’ve had a really difficult time throughout my life being accepted,” he said.

“As a child I went to boarding school away from home in Wales to London and I wasn’t accepted by the fraternity there because I was small and my father was Jamaican.

“So that, ‘live like someone left the gate open’ is just me telling myself to go for it.

“I’m 91 now, I never thought I would be living, never mind kayaking the Murray yet here I am and this is what I’m doing.”

Kenny Stephens arrives in SA in 2020, before he was prevented from going any further. Picture: Brenton Edwards

He will also be raising money for DEBRA Australia to support children and adults living with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare skin disease that causes the skin to blister and peel at the slightest touch.

The incurable disease impacts around 1,000 people in Australia, including two of Mr Stevens own great grandchildren.

“There’s no government funding for diseases like Epidermolysis Bullosa because it’s so few people,” he said.

“They’re called butterfly children, imagine a child that you can’t pick up and squeeze and say, ‘oh I love you,’ because doing so you would break their skin and cause that child harm and pain.

“So I thought that’s a good enough cause for me and two of my great grandchildren turned out to have Epidermolysis Simplex.”

Children and adults with EB often need to have their body bandaged to prevent blisters and wounds. Picture: David Caird

A navy veteran and father-of-six, Mr Stephens always had a keen sense of adventure.

However, it wasn’t until later in life that he took up kayaking in his 40s after taking courses while working as a probation and parole officer.

“I’ve always had a kind of a sense of adventure and always been rather prepared to just jump off into the unknown,” he said.

“And when I did the five day course taking offenders up and just paddling sections of the Murray, the bug bit me really had and I’ve been kayaking ever since.”

So far he has raised over $6,000 which will help support families living with EB, he said.

“My goal was to raise $5000 which was a specific amount I wanted to gather to be able to say that this journey has provided services to at least two families and now we’ve more than done that,” he said.

You can make a donation here.