Ray Kenihan, or ‘Ken’ as he was always known, was born at ‘The Braes’, Reynella, South Australia, the youngest son of Michael Kenihan, a farmer, and Elizabeth Kenihan (nee Pearson). He was educated at Christian Brothers’ College and the University of Adelaide, graduating in 1915. Enlisting in the AIF, he served with 11 Australian Field Ambulance in 1916 and later with 44 Infantry Battalion (Western Australia) in France and Belgium 1917-18, being awarded the Military Cross at the Battle of Messines (1917). He was wounded and later gassed.

Returning to Adelaide, he married Glen Hewitt and commenced general practice at Millswood in 1920. He held an appointment at the Royal Adelaide Hospital as honorary anaesthetist and tutor in anaesthetics 1923-33 and had a long association with the Repatriation General Hospital at Keswick, being, in turn, anaesthetist, physician and pathologist before his appointment as physician in charge of outpatients in 1946. This position he held until his retirement. He continued in general practice until ill health forced him to give up active work shortly before his death in 1964.

During the years between the two World Wars, Ken continued his association with the AAMC and, at the time of the outbreak of war in 1939, he was CO 10 CCS at Warradale. He relinquished that command to become OC Troops, 2/2 Australian Hospital Ship, Wanganella, and served in the Middle East and Far East during 1940-41.

While at school, Ken was a fine athlete and he maintained a keen interest in all sporting activities during his lifetime, being a regular attender at the Adelaide Oval. He enjoyed reading, gardening and playing the stock market. His children, and, later, grandchildren were always eager to go driving with him because, on those occasions, in direct contrast to his usual calm, quiet, unruffled manner which so endeared him to his patients and family, all other motorists were subjected to a continual stream of abuse of which, fortunately, they were completely unaware.