Australian Dictionary of Biography

Sir John Robert Kemp (1883-1955), engineer and public servant, was born on 6 October 1883 at Yendon, Victoria, son of native-born parents John Winterburn Kemp, schoolteacher, and his wife Elizabeth, née McClelland. Young John attended state schools and studied engineering (1903 and 1905-06) at the University of Melbourne. He worked (1905-07) as a draftsman and cadet engineer in the Victorian Department of Public Works before becoming assistant-examiner in the patents branch of the Commonwealth Department of Trade and Customs. An appointment (1910) as shire engineer of Karkarooc Shire, in north-west Victoria, gave him a grounding in local government administration. Three years later he joined the Victorian Country Roads Board. On 23 April 1913 at Christ Church, Hawthorn, he married with Anglican rites Iva Estelle Maude Lilley (d.1952); they were to remain childless.

The C.R.B. was at the forefront of Australian road-making and Kemp's experience earned him the post of foundation chairman (1920) of the Queensland Main Roads Board. In 1925 the board was replaced by the Main Roads Commission, with Kemp as sole commissioner. He initiated a State-wide road-survey and liaised with local government authorities on long-term planning for the construction and maintenance of declared 'main' roads.

From the outset Kemp developed a reputation among his staff for counting 'the shekels'. Aware of the need to balance funds with objectives, he gave priority to the length of roads over their width, and was not averse to private or toll roads if they added miles to the system. From 1923 the Commonwealth government granted money to the States for road-making. Commonwealth-State road-funding then expanded to encompass 'development' and 'tourist' roads. Kemp proved a persuasive advocate for continued Federal financial support and represented Queensland at Commonwealth-State discussions, such as the 1926 Federal Aid (Roads) conference of State ministers and their chief engineers. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, when horses provided most of the workpower, he was a familiar sight to road-gangs during his tours of inspection, often conducted in the knee-deep mud of Central Queensland's black-soil plains.