On October 29, 2024, the town of Ganmain mourned the death of Kevin Corbett, one of its most hard-working and successful farmers and a truly community-minded man.

Kevin was a devout and faithful Catholic who had been blessed with the example of hardworking, selfless parents. He was grateful for the old-fashioned but rock-solid Catholic education imparted to him by the Marist brothers of “Saint Greg’s”, Campbelltown.

As a youngster he was taken by his dad to hear B.A. Santamaria speak in Wagga Wagga, and from that time remained an admirer of this Catholic social analyst and intellectual. He would often remark on Bob’s gifts – his precision in evaluating social issues and his perfect clarity in public addresses –not a pause, nor a fumble nor a sign of using notes.

Attracted by The Movement’s efforts to keep Australia free from communism, Kevin remained all his life a staunch supporter of the work of the National Civic Council, reading News Weekly up to a few weeks before his death at the age of 92.

The social teachings of the Church – which were promoted by the NCC – were part and parcel of Kevin’s working life, as he weathered the ups and downs of rural life along with his neighbours.

With his wonderful wife Leila, he raised six children, one of whom died at the age of 29 in a farming accident.

Kevin’s own family was not the only recipient of his care and good will; anyone in need concerned him, and he intentionally brought jobs to the small town through his success as farmer and business- man.

Disliking the limelight, Kevin quietly served in Saint Vincent de Paul and in other ways known only to God.

Kevin’s principles were formed by the Catholic Church, and fostered by the NCC’s News Weekly: faith, religious freedom, the sanctity of life, Judaeo-Christian values, and the importance of strengthening small businesses and national interests.

He stood by these key values even in the face of the derision of society, and as the winds of the mass media, government over-reach and anti-human laws tried to uproot them.

We who were blessed to know this great man pay him tribute best by becoming more informed and intentional about the causes he loved so well and lived for so faithfully. Written by the Dominican Sisters, Ganmain.