Malcolm Kennedy RIP - A personal account by George McBean

Malcolm Kennedy interviewing Sir Edmond Hillary Kathmandu 1986 for the Bob Geldoff's SportAid event.

I first met Malcolm Kennedy in Nairobi Kenya in 1976 when I was doing free-lance graphic design jobs for both UNICEF and UNEP. He was a distinguished, unpretentious New Zealander who was the UNICEF Representative in Somalia. Malcom immediately took interest in my work, especially my cartoons. Later in 1977 when I joined UNICEF full time, my work in graphics covered 18 East African countries where governments were eager to improve the quality of their Health Communication materials. Whilst I regularly visited these countries at the invitation of the UNICEF Representatives - Malcolm was dealing with deadly famines and yearly displacement camps full of desperate people in Somalia. He put in a request for communication help to ESARO Nairobi- a request that changed my life.

It was in Somalia with Malcolm’s guidance I experienced the extreme situations of famine and how visual communication could help, even in the direst of circumstances.

Malcolm then moved to Nepal and when my seven year stint in East Africa came to an end, I applied for a job as Communication Officer in the UNICEF Kathmandu office Nepal. Malcolm was keen to explain not just the job but the physical effort this work would require. There was no office bound job on offer-I would be required to work in the ‘field’ for three months each year. (Every expat in the Nepal office had to witness real life in the ‘Field.’ ) But Malcolm's field was the steep side of a hill, and I’d be required to walk for two weeks to get there and two weeks walk back. Malcolm even arranged a test field trip- sending me out with Colin Glennie to view a gravity feed water system in hill villages. (Gravity of course only works from the top of a hill, with pipes that run to villages below. So that’s what my legs did on that first field trip- talk about walking into a new job!)

Malcolm stressed that my job entailed walking for weeks but that I also had to attend government meetings- dressed properly, and very often at short notice. (My casual artist/Scottish yogi attire was not recommended for government meetings.) I felt so challenged by Malcolm’s insistence to ‘dress properly’- that I installed a box with a glass front onto the wall outside my office - with a spare necktie in it. Like a fire extinguisher… I had the necktie with clip-on grips, hanging in this box with a large sign saying, ‘In case of emergency governments meetings- open box- and place content around neck.’ On several occasions the necktie was used by Alan Court, Fergus Mackintosh, Stewart McNab and Malcolm himself for un-scheduled meetings. It functioned well, much to the amusement of local staff and Heidi Larsen, Isa Crawley, and Caroline Arnold. (It was offered to David Haxton on an impromptu visit to meet the Nepal’s King.)

Malcolm’ s leadership and staff played a significant part during the Child Survival Revolution under James Grant, to take Nepal up from being joint bottom with Afghanistan in the IMR league rankings for Infant and Child mortality. The later National Health surveys showed a 52 per cent reduction in deaths in the space of five years, through the introduction of ORS (Nun Chini Pani + Jeevan Jal) along with clean water and latrine construction. 

Malcolm's talent to draw out the best in people was only surpassed by his ability to squeeze life out of old UNICEF cars. Our Children remember their encounters with Malcolm- from Pantomimes in Nepal to midge-proofing his home on the Isle of Skye, before they chased him into retiring to Portugal. Rest in Peace doesn’t actually sound appropriate for Malcolm. My wife Sara and I can only ever imagine him happy when productive. (He is much more likely to be checking the hinges on the Pearly Gates before entering, soon to offer some relevant advice about running the afterlife more economically.)

He was a friend as well as a supportive and inspirational boss for me. He, Jenny, and his children Alistair, Duncan and Fiona are fondly remembered by Sara and our children. We owe him much, for our life.

Malcolm and I meeting the Nepal Prime Minister- to present him with the first ever - State of the Worlds Children Report.

Malcolm introducing the Duke of Edinburgh to my wife Sara Cameron McBean.