By Pamela Rothfield

STANLEY Stowell Kennon is remembered as one of the most capable and daring seamen ever to sail the waters around Phillip Island.

He was also the father of nine children. His life tells a remarkable story of courage - not only on the often-treacherous waters of Bass Strait, but also in overcoming the personal hardships that life placed before him. 

Long before modern navigation, marine radios or reliable weather forecasting, Kennon regularly crossed waters considered too dangerous for larger vessels. As a young man he spent six weeks living on Seal Rocks harvesting seals for their oil, and in 1888 rescued the man who would later become Chief Justice of Victoria and Premier of Victoria, Sir William Irvine and two companions after they became stranded on the rocks at Flinders, one of a number of rescues he carried out during his life on the island.

When rough seas prevented the steamer from carrying passengers and mail across Western Port, Stanley was often the man who successfully completed the crossing. 

Born in Melbourne in 1853 to William and Margaret Kennon, immigrants from the Isle of Man, Stanley grew up in a family of ten children. By his mid-twenties, Stanley had established himself as both a farmer and an accomplished boatman. He was one of the earliest European settlers at Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula, where he farmed. In 1877, he married Isabella Jane Cridland. 

Although Stanley’s public life was one of enterprise and courage, his private life was not without sorrow. The couple had nine children, but the marriage was troubled by Isabella’s alcoholism and episodes of violence. Court records reveal that in 1888, while intoxicated, she assaulted Stanley with a poker and was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment. Although they attempted to reconcile, the marriage eventually ended in 1890. 

In 1895 he married Mary Anne Findlay, a member of one of Phillip Island’s pioneering families. A few years later they established Genesta House in Cowes, a guesthouse that became part of Cowes’ history.

His skill, judgement and fearlessness earned him widespread respect throughout Western Port, and newspaper reports following his death described him as one of the district’s finest boatmen. 

But while the sea made Stanley famous, it was his family that defined him. Following the breakdown of his first marriage, Stanley remained with his nine children, rebuilding their lives first at Newhaven and later in Cowes with his new wife, with whom he had four more children. The strength of those family bonds would become evident in the years that followed. 

Stanley’s relationship with his children is perhaps best illustrated by an extraordinary episode following the wreck of the Speke at Kitty Miller Bay in 1906.

The year after the wreck, Stanley’s son Bill purchased the salvage rights to the vessel. Recovering the anchors and eleven tonnes of cable was an enormous undertaking, requiring a specially built punt that lay on the Back Beach for eighteen months while the crew waited for the right seas to complete the recovery. 

Among the six men who joined Bill in the hazardous operation was his father, Stanley. At 55 years of age, Stanley was hardly a young man, making his willingness to join the perilous salvage operation all the more remarkable. 

The men became known locally as the “Suicide Crew” - a reflection of the danger involved in working the exposed coastline under unpredictable conditions. It was a remarkable example of a father and son sharing not only a livelihood, but also extraordinary courage. 

When Stanley Kennon died in 1924, he left a substantial estate and an even greater legacy. His will reflected the practical nature of the man, making provision for his grandchildren according to what he believed each branch of the family required. 

Despite the hardships he faced, Stanley left behind not only a reputation as one of Western Port’s finest seamen, but also a close-knit family. Most of his children remained on Phillip Island during his lifetime, only gradually moving away after his death as marriage and opportunity took them elsewhere. 

A century later, Stanley Kennon’s name has largely slipped from public memory. Yet every Father’s Day reminds us that history is not made only by politicians or explorers. It is also shaped by fathers whose quiet strength, steadfast example and devotion to their families leave an enduring mark on the communities they help build. Stanley Stowell Kennon was one of those men.