His vocation was his students: S.K. Kennedy, 59

Any football fan growing up in Singapore in the mid-1990s would be familiar with the figure of S K. Kennedy and his no-nonsense refereeing on the field.

As a FIFA referee, he officiated in international tournaments and flew the Singapore flag high. 

Before May 1997, he was forced on several occasions to take a break from refereeing duties because of “health reasons”.

When he signaled his intention to take a “rest” in May 1997 due to “personal reasons”, then Secretary of the Football Association of Singapore Referees Committee. Maidin Singah, stated unequivocally that, “it will be a sad day for refereeing [in Singapore] if he decides to quit for good. He’s one of our best referees. He’s got a great future”.

Kennedy was and should be remembered as one of Singapore’s best referees.

A friend and teammate said it best when he described Kennedy as an “honest, humble, disciplined, hardworking and sincere gentleman with integrity”.

In 2002, Kennedy won the S.League's Best Referee Award. He surprised his audience by donating his prize money and the entirety of his refereeing allowance for the season to the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

The Streats article, published on 17 October 2022, described him as “One helluva referee”, and indeed so.

This act should not come as a surprise. If his passion was Singapore football, his vocation was his students, their education and future, and the community he was a part of.

Respect was not who he was, but what he did.

To many of his former students at the former Loyang Secondary School, his class was the one they looked forward to each week.

He imparts. He reprimands. He listens. He advises. The interests of his students were at the core of what he did each day at school, unreservedly and selflessly.

As one former student puts it, his discipline and nurturing taught them resilience and perseverance.

If it means sacrificing his weekends to teach, he will do so.

If it means standing up to his students to help them understand the importance of discipline and keeping time, he will do so.

If it means that he runs the extra mile, he will do so; Run he did, alongside his students. 

He believes in giving every child the opportunity to do well in life. For his less than privileged students, he gave them an extra leg-up to improve their chances of excelling in life.

As a lapidarist, he cuts, grinds, disciplines and polishes – deep down, he believes that every child deserves a chance to do well.

As a former student was once told, “If you do not pass my test, you do not play in my team”. Hard work was instilled in each and every one of the players he mentored. He made sure that they understood that there’s no shortcut to success.

He wanted his students to be able to pursue sports whilst not neglecting their studies. He firmly believes that they are not mutually exclusive of one another. He was one such example. He was a university graduate that excelled in sports.

More fundamentally, he had that unwavering belief in his students that they can make their family, community and country proud.

Kennedy was an educator, a football coach and an inspiration. His was a lesson in life.

To all who had crossed paths with him, students, players, colleagues and teammates like, it was their privilege, and that itself is an understatement.

His death is a tremendous loss to the football fraternity in Singapore. He was more than “one helluva referee”, he was simply a beautiful human person. A giant of an example.

Mr Kennedy，your last class has come to an end. Class’ dismissed. Thank you for teaching us – You were one helluva an educator!

Till the very end, he consumes himself to light the way for others. He imparts. He reprimands. He listens. He advises, and he leads by example.

Ultimately, Kennedy was what his vocation stood for - To teach, nurture and mould.

Many of his students, colleagues and players can say that because they knew him, they have been changed for the better.

Today, they are seeds that grow forever. We will forever be grateful.