Kenneth Oldroyd

Kenneth Oldroyd was born in Horbury, Yorkshire, the only child of Annie Begg, a factory worker, and Clifford Oldroyd, a coal miner. He attended Ossett Grammar School on a scholarship, where he excelled. He enrolled at University of Leeds to read medicine and graduated in 1959, winning the First MBChB Prize.

Kenneth met his future wife, Anne Leonard, at Leeds General Infirmary. They were married in St Muradech’s Cathedral in Ballina, Ireland, and had five children across three countries. In 1962 they left England for a solo general practice position in Saskatchewan, Canada, where they lived for two years. After another period in England, during which time Kenneth studied public health and graduated with a diploma from Liverpool University in 1967, they came to Australia by ship in 1969. They settled in Austinmer on the south coast of New South Wales, where Kenneth worked in general practice. He made this his own, giving enormously …