Kevin Franey: staying the course for the Northern Rivers

Attending university at the same time – albeit a year or two behind Kevin – was fellow business student and future wife, Amanda James. The couple met on the Lismore campus.

Today, having taken his degree and risen through the ranks at TNR Chartered Accountants, Kevin has spent almost four decades with a company established in Lismore in 1899, sustained through more than a century of strong links to the Northern Rivers, and now one of the largest accounting firms in regional NSW and SE Queensland.

Such a profound local connection has engendered bonds that Kevin still feels today. It is why he has travelled … but has never left.

Kevin began his degree in the late 1980s, back when the University was making its transition from a College of Advanced Education and then a part of the University of New England network. Southern Cross University officially came into being on 1 January 1994, and Kevin’s graduation ceremony followed a few weeks later.

“I was a little different from others in my cohort because I was already working full-time with TNR while I studied,” he says. “It was such a good experience. The lecturers and tutors were great. Margo Sweeney, Jill Phillips, Steve Rowe and others. It was the same with my fellow students.

“Starting with Accounting 1 and 2 was a definite advantage. These subjects teach the basics of accounting and allowed me to understand my auditing role much better. As my degree progressed, it translated seamlessly to my profession, aiding my interaction with clients and the quality of services I could provide.

“The importance of that essential regional presence has never shifted. It is one of the reasons I have stayed here.”

“Here” began in the tiny Richmond Valley township of Rappville – population around 150 when Kevin was a boy and not much different today. His father worked in the timber industry and his mother was a school secretary.

Attending Casino High School meant a 90-minute commute each way, allowing Kevin plenty of time to think about his future. Deciding on accounting was no whim.

“I saw it as a stable career, a sensible choice, and also much more. Accounting had a lot of fields to explore. It presented opportunities and opened doors.”

The first door led Kevin into TNR’s Keen Street office, in the heart of Lismore’s CBD. Many more have opened since.

Among career milestones, Kevin was selected to deliver GST seminars for the NSW Government and NSW Farmers Federation when Prime Minister John Howard secured a mandate for the tax at the 1998 Federal Election.

“The GST was an important development, even if there were a few people who mistakenly thought I was representing the Tax Office and was there to empty their bank accounts,” says Kevin, laughing at the memory.

Qualification as a Certified Internal Auditor was another major step, enabling Kevin to specialise in internal and external audit and assurance services for financial institutions, health and community services, higher education institutions – including Southern Cross University – for-profit entities, cooperatives, accommodation services, and local government.

Kevin served as Chairperson of the NSW Local Government Auditors Association (LGAA) for more than five years and was a director for around 15 years. Currently a director of the Summerland Bank and Chair of its Audit Committee, Kevin is also a delegate to the Queensland and NSW Auditors-General.

For all of his achievements, Kevin favours collective benefit over the personal – again a reflection of his ties to the region. Family, too, is integral.

“Amanda has supported me throughout my working life, raising our children Sarah and Jack,” he says. “My work has required lots of travel throughout NSW and Queensland, and Amanda held the household together while I was away.”

As much as Kevin has travelled, the Northern Rivers remains home.

“I love our part of the world and I want to support and contribute to its future,” he says.

“After the 2022 floods, the reimagining of Lismore has become very important. I am part of a group of local businesspeople working to restore Lismore as a hub for growth.

“Ironically, my Southern Cross graduation certificate was lost in the floods. But others lost so much more. Our office was deluged. Six workmates had their homes inundated and experienced heart-breaking loss.

“It immediately brought home how important it was for our business to be up and running again. People needed certainty over their situations. Our overriding imperative, then and now, has been to be there for our clients and for the region.

“There is a lot to do and a long way to go, but we are doing it together.”