Quentin Kenihan will be honoured with an inclusive playground, one of his final wishes
ENTERTAINER and disability advocate Quentin Kenihan will be memorialised with the construction of an inclusive playground, honouring one of his final wishes. Adelaide City Council candidates also want him to remain on the ballot, to be posthumously elected.
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ENTERTAINER and disability advocate Quentin Kenihan is set to be memorialised by the construction of an inclusive playground in the CBD, honouring one of his final wishes.
Tributes have been flowing after the 43-year-old after he died at the weekend, led by Hollywood star Russell Crowe’s description of Mr Kenihan as “the bravest bloke I ever met”.
Premier Steven Marshall on Monday said Cabinet had discussed how best to honour a man who was a fixture in SA life for decades, and would be offering funeral support to the family.
Mr Marshall said the State Government would back construction of an inclusive playground in the CBD, with discussions to start with Adelaide City Council after its imminent elections.
Mr Kenihan was ambassador for a similar facility in the Marion area, and determined to have another in the CBD. Friend Filip Odzak said the project was on Mr Kenihan’s “bucket list”.
Mr Marshall said “there has been a huge public outpouring of sympathy” over the news.
“Many of us had grown up sort of living with Quentin,” Mr Marshall said.
“Quentin is unequivocally somebody who had very significant health challenges his entire life, but he put them behind him as much as he could and really made an enormous contribution.
“He was a very funny guy, a witty guy, and someone who has been embraced and loved.”
An inclusive playground at Park Holme was opened in August, costing $960,000.
It offers bike tracks, swings and nature play that are modified for people with special needs.
Mr Kenihan had input on the design of the bike track, and was a project ambassador.
Mr Marshall said he would work with the new council to decide a site for the new CBD facility, and how the cost would be split. It could be open as soon as next year.
“We want to partner with the Adelaide City Council to deliver this wonderful new facility, and we want to do it in a way that honours the legacy of Quentin Kenihan,” Mr Marshall said.
“Adelaide City Council has already done some preliminary work on this.”
Mr Marshall said it would be “a great idea” to name the playground after Mr Kenihan.
Earlier... Adelaide City councillors and council candidates are calling for Quentin Kenihan’s name to remain on the ballot paper for next month’s election and say they will vote “one” for the the advocate and beloved entertainer who died on the weekend.
As tributes continue to flow in for Quentin, who died age 43, the Electoral Commission of SA is investigating just whether the area councillor candidate will remain on ballot papers when they go out shortly.
Quentin, who announced his candidacy on a platform of improved services for the disabled and community advocacy in July, had secured the prime number one spot on the area councillor voting ballot.
Central Ward incumbent Houssam Abiad labelled Quentin a “real life super hero” and it would be a fitting tribute for a person who won the hearts of Australia for his battle with osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, to become a honorary councillor.
“He is a man that despite all odds proved that your power stems from your ambitions,” he said.
“We are very lucky to have Quentin campaign to represent our city. Quentin has been actively campaigning since he announced his candidacy, as a matter of fact he was campaigning the weekend he left us.
“I wholeheartedly appeal to the Electoral Commission of South Australia to keep his name on the ballot papers for Area Councillor.
“He was always working hard for the people of his city, and his tenacity and compassion are now his legacy, and this is why this City of Adelaide election, I will be Voting 1 for Quentin Kenihan for area councillor.”
Cr Abiad said he would also push to honour Quentin’s legacy fulfilling the advocate’s dream of building a fully accessible playground in the city.
One of the candidates Quentin was due to be up against in his bid to secure an area councillor position, Arman Abrahimzadeh, said he would also be giving Quentin his number one vote.
“I only got to really know him in the last few weeks and he was the type of person who will put the community first ahead of him,” he said.
“And unfortunately he copped some trolling online as he campaigned.
“For someone like him to take that stance and put the community first and effectively put himself last, and subject himself to those kind of comments, that’s what I want my elected members to do and that’s why I will give him a number one vote when I vote because he demonstrated that.”
If Quentin is posthumously elected a area councillor, a by-election could be held to determine a replacement.
This is also what ECSA is investigating.
Cr Anne Moran said Kenihan should be honoured in other ways.
“It (calling for people to vote for him) shows a complete lack of understanding of the electoral system,” she said.
