Kenneth Luke
Encyclopedia
Sir Kenneth Luke was a self-made millionaire manufacturer and a leading Australian rules football
administrator in the Victorian Football League
(VFL). He was president of the VFL between 1956 and 1971 and president of the Carlton Football Club
from 1938 to 1955.
Born in Port Melbourne
, Victoria
to labourer George Edwin and Minnie Anne Luke (née Bensley) from London, Luke went to South Brunswick State School
and Ballarat High School
. At 14, he was apprenticed to an engraver
in a silver factory. Diligent and ambitious, he had saved enough from his wages at the age of 24 to become a partner in a small metal spinning
and silverware business based in Carlton
. Just four years later, he owned the business, which employed seven men. Luke inspired remarkable loyalty: all seven workers were still there thirty years on, by which time the workforce had grown to over six hundred. The company manufactured a broad range of products such as silverware, stainless-steel surgical equipment, plated goods and glass-washing machines.
In 1929, Luke moved to larger premises in Fitzroy
, doubled his staff and introduced new lines. He was a constant presence at the factory, working every weeknight and weekends. After three seasons as a committeeman, Luke was voted president of the Carlton Football Club in 1938. He was instrumental in luring Brighton Diggins
from South Melbourne FC (now the Sydney Swans
) to become playing coach of the Blues. The effect was immediate - Carlton ended a 23-year premiership drought in a Grand Final
against Collingwood
that attracted the Australia
n record sporting crowd of 96,834. Five months later, in February 1939, Luke married Valda Richardson in a ceremony held in London
. At the outbreak of World War II
production at his factory was increased to serve the war effort and Luke was an honorary adviser to the Department of Supply and Shipping during the war years.
After the war, Luke expanded his interests. He purchased Deepfields, a rural holding at Romsey
, north of Melbourne
. Originally a weekend retreat, Luke made it into a champion Dorset Horn
and Polled Hereford stud. He owned and raced a number of horses that had double 'f' names, such as Feeling Fine and Fighting Force. Continuing his involvement with Carlton, he presided over two more premiership wins (1945 and 1947) while becoming VFL vice-president in 1946. In November 1949, the government appointed him a trustee of the Royal Exhibition Building
and he served two terms as chairman (1954–57 and 1961–63). A notable supporter of charitable causes, Luke founded the White Ensign Club for sailors in 1952. During this period, he continued to keep a close eye on his business, which listed as a public company, K. G. Luke (Australasia) Limited, in 1953. Always keen to progress, he travelled extensively to keep up with new manufacturing techniques, such as automation.
With postwar growth generating record crowds, he consolidated central administration and professionalized the game for players. In 1962 the VFL bought land at Waverley for a new ground, which Luke envisaged as an alternative to the Melbourne Cricket Ground
for football finals. VFL Park, now Waverley Park
, his legacy, opened in 1970.
'KG', as he was known, was a self-made man, hard-working and disciplined, but also far-sighted, courteous and even-tempered. The range of his interests and the number of his involvements was remarkable—he believed that a busy man could always take on another job. He was a councillor of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and a member of at least fourteen clubs, including the Savage
, the Victoria Racing
and the Melbourne Cricket
clubs. Luke was appointed C.M.G.
in 1954 and knighted in 1962. Survived by his wife and daughter, Luke died on 13 June 1971 at his Hawthorn
home and was cremated. By that time K. G. Luke Group Industries Ltd, with twelve subsidiaries, had sales of $17.2 million and an annual profit of nearly $3 million. Luke's estate was sworn for probate at $412,156. A stand at Waverley Park is named after him and a portrait by Paul Fitzgerald is held by the Australian Football League.
Luke was a member of the Carlton Football Club] committee from 1935 to 1937 and Carlton President from 1938 to 1955. He also served as VFL Vice-President 1946 to 1955 and VFL President 1956 to 1971. Along with Eric McCutchan
he played a major role in the purchase of land for Waverley Park in 1962 and the development of the stadium.
Sir Kenneth was inducted to the Australian Football Hall of Fame
in 1996.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
administrator in the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL). He was president of the VFL between 1956 and 1971 and president of the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
from 1938 to 1955.
Born in Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne, Victoria
Port Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km southwest of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government areas are the cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, Port Melbourne had a population of 13,293....
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
to labourer George Edwin and Minnie Anne Luke (née Bensley) from London, Luke went to South Brunswick State School
Brunswick South Primary School
Brunswick South Primary School ' is a government primary school located in Brunswick East, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and Ballarat High School
Ballarat High School
Ballarat High School is a government secondary school located in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The school was opened in 1907 as an agricultural college before transitioning to an academic focus in 1925.- History :...
. At 14, he was apprenticed to an engraver
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
in a silver factory. Diligent and ambitious, he had saved enough from his wages at the age of 24 to become a partner in a small metal spinning
Metal spinning
Metal spinning, also known as spin forming or spinning, is a metalworking process by which a disc or tube of metal is rotated at high speed and formed into an axially symmetric part. Spinning can be performed by hand or by a CNC lathe....
and silverware business based in Carlton
Carlton, Victoria
Carlton is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
. Just four years later, he owned the business, which employed seven men. Luke inspired remarkable loyalty: all seven workers were still there thirty years on, by which time the workforce had grown to over six hundred. The company manufactured a broad range of products such as silverware, stainless-steel surgical equipment, plated goods and glass-washing machines.
In 1929, Luke moved to larger premises in Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
, doubled his staff and introduced new lines. He was a constant presence at the factory, working every weeknight and weekends. After three seasons as a committeeman, Luke was voted president of the Carlton Football Club in 1938. He was instrumental in luring Brighton Diggins
Brighton Diggins
Brighton Diggins was a former Australian rules footballer in the West Australian Football League and Victorian Football League....
from South Melbourne FC (now the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
) to become playing coach of the Blues. The effect was immediate - Carlton ended a 23-year premiership drought in a Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
against Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
that attracted the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n record sporting crowd of 96,834. Five months later, in February 1939, Luke married Valda Richardson in a ceremony held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. At the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
production at his factory was increased to serve the war effort and Luke was an honorary adviser to the Department of Supply and Shipping during the war years.
After the war, Luke expanded his interests. He purchased Deepfields, a rural holding at Romsey
Romsey, Victoria
Romsey is a town in the Local Government Area of the Shire of Macedon Ranges in the state of Victoria, Australia. The town is located north of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Romsey had a population of 4490.-History:...
, north of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Originally a weekend retreat, Luke made it into a champion Dorset Horn
Dorset (sheep)
The Dorset or Dorset Horned breed of sheep is known mostly for its prolific lambing. It has been known to produce two lambing seasons per year: bred in May for lambs finished by the holidays, and bred again immediately after the first lambing to produce again in March or April...
and Polled Hereford stud. He owned and raced a number of horses that had double 'f' names, such as Feeling Fine and Fighting Force. Continuing his involvement with Carlton, he presided over two more premiership wins (1945 and 1947) while becoming VFL vice-president in 1946. In November 1949, the government appointed him a trustee of the Royal Exhibition Building
Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Nicholson, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district...
and he served two terms as chairman (1954–57 and 1961–63). A notable supporter of charitable causes, Luke founded the White Ensign Club for sailors in 1952. During this period, he continued to keep a close eye on his business, which listed as a public company, K. G. Luke (Australasia) Limited, in 1953. Always keen to progress, he travelled extensively to keep up with new manufacturing techniques, such as automation.
With postwar growth generating record crowds, he consolidated central administration and professionalized the game for players. In 1962 the VFL bought land at Waverley for a new ground, which Luke envisaged as an alternative to the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
for football finals. VFL Park, now Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...
, his legacy, opened in 1970.
'KG', as he was known, was a self-made man, hard-working and disciplined, but also far-sighted, courteous and even-tempered. The range of his interests and the number of his involvements was remarkable—he believed that a busy man could always take on another job. He was a councillor of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and a member of at least fourteen clubs, including the Savage
Savage Club
The Savage Club, founded in 1857 is a gentlemen's club in London.-History:Many and varied are the stories that have been told about the first meeting of the Savage Club, of the precise purposes for which it was formed, and of its christening...
, the Victoria Racing
Victoria Racing Club
The Victoria Racing Club was founded in 1864. It was formed following the disbanding of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. A legacy passed from the Victoria Turf Club was the annual “race that stops a nation”, the Melbourne Cup, which was first contested in 1861.From its...
and the Melbourne Cricket
Melbourne Cricket Club
The Melbourne Cricket Club is a sporting club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is regarded as the oldest sporting club in Australia....
clubs. Luke was appointed C.M.G.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1954 and knighted in 1962. Survived by his wife and daughter, Luke died on 13 June 1971 at his Hawthorn
Hawthorn, Victoria
Hawthorn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
home and was cremated. By that time K. G. Luke Group Industries Ltd, with twelve subsidiaries, had sales of $17.2 million and an annual profit of nearly $3 million. Luke's estate was sworn for probate at $412,156. A stand at Waverley Park is named after him and a portrait by Paul Fitzgerald is held by the Australian Football League.
Luke was a member of the Carlton Football Club] committee from 1935 to 1937 and Carlton President from 1938 to 1955. He also served as VFL Vice-President 1946 to 1955 and VFL President 1956 to 1971. Along with Eric McCutchan
Eric McCutchan
Eric McCutchan was a leading Australian rules football administrator in the Victorian Football League .Beginning his administrative career with the VFL in 1932, McCutchan gave 44 years service to the league. From 1945 to 1955 he was Assistant Secretary of the VFL, and from 1956 he was Secretary,...
he played a major role in the purchase of land for Waverley Park in 1962 and the development of the stadium.
Sir Kenneth was inducted to the Australian Football Hall of Fame
Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
in 1996.