In 2006 Kenny, an Australian mockumentary comedy starring Shane Jacobson as Kenny Smyth, a Melbourne portaloo plumber, took the country by storm. Directed by Shane's brother Clayton, the film won a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the AFI Awards for their father, Ron, who played Shane's father. But there's a lot more to "Kenny's" Dad - and Kenny's Dad - than acting. Ron, now 75, grew up in the Depression in a tent on the banks of Melbourne's Maribyrnong River before being taken with four of his five siblings on the rural show circuit in regional Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales by his wharfie father and doting mother. Only a toddler, he lived with the sounds and the smells of sideshow alley. His school years during and after the war were packed with adventure with his mates on the river. After school Ron joined the public service and started playing district football and cricket. He also developed a lifelong passion for boxing, becoming an accredited and winning trainer. | 
