Dr. Henning Kloevekorn – A Life of Service, Advocacy, and Cultural Engagement
Dr. Henning Kloevekorn spent his early years in a vibrant and culturally rich coastal region of Lagos, Nigeria. His father, Henning Sr., was deeply involved in community projects, including initiatives to provide fresh water by installing boreholes for local residents. As a child, Henning was cared for by devoted African minders, including Mr. Inugo and Mr. Sunday, with whom he formed lasting bonds.
“I spent the first five years of my life playing with African children on the beaches of Badagry—chasing wild boars, kicking tin cans as soccer balls, and watching extraordinary fishermen row their longboats out to sea while singing the most beautiful tribal songs,” he recalls.
At age five, Henning returned to his birthplace in Germany, where he lived until the age of ten. This was a striking cultural shift—from African beaches to Catholic sermons on Sundays, wearing a suit, visiting the family grave each week to lay flowers, and attending high tea once a month with Earl Ignatz Maria Cajus Constantin Graf Praschma Freiherr von Bilkau. He was often cared for by German veterans from the village of Goch, whose stories gave him a deep appreciation for the sacrifices and horrors endured by soldiers during both World Wars.
This history was personal. Among his ancestors were a U-Boat captain and a recipient of the German Cross in Gold at Stalingrad. Yet his family legacy also included Els Kloevekorn, honored by Yad Vashem in 1977 as Righteous Among the Nations for risking her life to save Jews during the Holocaust.
In 1984, the Kloevekorn family moved to Adelaide, South Australia, where Henning Sr. established Liebherr Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of the Liebherr family. Henning attended St. Peter’s College, a private Church of England school for boys, where he served as Secretary of Woodcock House and was awarded the Headmaster’s Prize for Service to the School. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and a Master’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Adelaide, supplementing his studies with comparative religion and Aboriginal history.
Eager to serve the community, Henning became Australia’s youngest-serving secretary and Area Coordinator for a local Neighbourhood Watch. He volunteered with the Friends of Marble Hill and the Sustainability Australia project, where he worked with Peramangk Elders. His conservation work for the Kangaroo Island Glossy Black Cockatoo led to further volunteering with Friends of the Earth on environmental and social sustainability initiatives.
In 1997, upon joining the Freemasons in South Australia, Henning became an outspoken advocate for Aboriginal rights. At the time, the fraternity required all initiates to swear an oath on a holy book—primarily the Bible. Drawing on his Aboriginal studies, Henning petitioned the Grand Master to exempt Aboriginal initiates, as Dreamtime traditions are not based on scripture. His appeal was rejected, but he persisted for 15 years—writing to Attorney-General Michael Atkinson in 2004 seeking changes in the Equal Opportunity Act, publishing a book on Freemasonry to support his case, and eventually resigning in protest.
He later joined a French Masonic jurisdiction without such a requirement. In 2016, the Grand Master of South Australia, Stephen Michalak, granted Henning amnesty and reinstated his membership. By 2017, the Grand Lodge overturned its previous policy, allowing Aboriginal Australians to be initiated without swearing on a holy book. Though the victory was never formally celebrated, Henning considers it one of his proudest achievements.
As CEO of Skytrust, a South Australian software company, Henning expanded his charitable work—becoming a platinum supporter of Movember for men’s health, sponsoring the Children’s Cultural and Historic Educational Trail for the SA Schützenfest, supporting the Bund der Bayern of the German Club, working with the Clothesline Project, and raising awareness about domestic violence. He was a mentor for the Youth Division of the Australian Human Resource Institute in 2016 and keynote speaker at a Schools Youth Campaign at the University of Adelaide.
In 2019, he co-founded the Rima Foundation, an Australian-registered charity building homes for the poor in Vietnam. By 2020, he had funded the construction of a home there. Proceeds from his book have supported multiple causes, including the Rainbow Girls, a Masonic youth service organization that teaches leadership through community service.
During the 2019/2020 Cudlee Creek bushfires in South Australia, Dr Kloevekorn mobilised support from his network to coordinate the delivery of 500,000L of desperately needed water to the livestock and residents of the region, a remarkable achievement, which included significant work by his friends Simon Thomson and Giulio Marrone.
Henning has held leadership positions in numerous non-profit organizations, including:
European Director, Council for International Trade SA (2017–2018)
Board Member, Austrian Association of South Australia Inc. (2017–2018)
Chair and Founder, German European Chamber SA Inc. (2015–2018), leading a Minister’s Trade Mission to Europe in 2017
Board Member, German Association of SA (2015)
Board Member, Lobethal Archives and Historical Museum Inc.
Deputy Director, Freemasons Grand Lodge Community Relations
As Chairman of the German European Chamber, Henning championed Aboriginal recognition—introducing Welcome to Country ceremonies, organizing joint sittings with the first Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce of South Australia, and even hosting a team in the 2016 T12 Cricket Nations Cup, a multicultural festival for male and female players.
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In 2025 on the completion of his Doctorate he sought and received formal endorsement for donating proceeds from his Doctoral Book to St John Ambulance - the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem - from the Governor of South Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC.
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Throughout his life, and the over 20,000 hours of voluntary work completed, Dr. Henning Kloevekorn has been guided by his commitment to equality, women’s rights, anti-domestic violence initiatives, multiculturalism, Aboriginal reconciliation, and support for the underprivileged—regardless of age, race, gender, or religion.
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His work reflects a lifelong dedication to fairness, compassion, and community service. Guided by humility, he has only recently begun sharing more openly about his contributions, as many were unaware of the breadth of his charitable and community efforts.
"As throughout my life, I remain committed to fairness, compassion, and equality. I believe that genuine social progress depends on measured, inclusive approaches that strengthen communities without undermining established cultural norms, cohesion or shared values."
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