A student at Fort Street High School in Sydney, Kennedy was a versatile athlete in the late 1920s and 1930s, successful in swimming, diving, vigoro, hockey, tennis and basketball.

[1] She set a range of Australian records in sprints, hurdles, 400 metres, 800 metres, Shot Put and Javelin and also won the inaugural NSW State Two-Mile Cross country championship.

Her time of 12.2 for 80 metres hurdles in 1930 broke the world record but her performance was not ratified which greatly disappointed Kennedy.

[2] In the same year, Kennedy saved the life of a drowning boy.

[2] In her career she won seven Australian championship at hurdles and javelin but only represented Australia at one international event, the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney.