Adult learning pioneer

obituary
Edith Noonan
Born: 2 February, 1921
Died: 8 May, 2009

EDITH Noonan, who died last month, described the early years of Healesville Living and Learning Centre as “those halcyon days”.
Edith was the inspiration behind the centre and its first president.
In an article she wrote for the 20th anniversary of the centre she tells of how, lamenting the lack of a community centre in Healesville, she called a public meeting.
Fifteen people turned up and just a few months later, in August 1979, the centre opened with six craft classes run by volunteer tutors.
“One point we were determined on was free classes…and it worked,” she said.
The centre very quickly expanded and it was a great satisfaction to Edith and to her co-founder and friend Innes Henderson that free HSC classes were soon being offered, setting the foundation for ongoing adult education courses.
Living and Learning Centre manager Karen Kisala said Edith’s interest in the centre continued long after she and Innes retired.
“Edith and Innes became a wonderful double act and would attend every AGM without fail, armed with a list of probing questions to make sure we were still on track,” she said.
She added, “Her love of lifelong learning was with her all her life as was her passion for the centre.”
Mardie Lambert, founder of Mountain Views Mail, was another long-time friend and, in those early days, a great supporter of Edith’s vision to provide a place of learning that was accessible to everyone.
Over the past seven or eight years the two became particularly close friends sharing many interests, including politics and literature.
“Edith was a remarkable woman. To talk of strength in a lady of such dignified gentleness may seem strange, but Edith was strong, determined and full of inspired ideas,” she said.
Friend, Sandy Jeffs wrote the following tribute on behalf of members of the discussion group – irreverently known as “the old farts” which began meeting about 23 years ago and of which Edith was a founding member.
“Edith was a valued member for her razor-sharp intellect, wry humour and fortitude to speak her mind. Edith was well read. And, no matter what she read, she always made acute observations, teased out the finer points and made astute comments.
“We loved her for her left-wing, feminist opinions which she never shied away from. She often said she could never talk about such things outside our group because nobody would understand where she was coming from. Edith felt safe with us; and we felt safe with her.
“Her historical knowledge was vast as was her understanding of the politics of the day. Her optimism about the advent of the welfare state in the UK, which she experienced first-hand, was profound. So, as she witnessed its erosion over the ensuing years, she felt let down.
“Edith regaled us with many stories but it was the story of her giving birth in Coventry during a bombing raid in World War II that inspired us.
“We loved Edith for her pluck, for her courage and audacity to believe strongly in causes, and her capacity to seek knowledge and learn.
“We miss her incisive input into our discussions and her dogged pursuit of a subject.
“Edith was a thinker and, importantly, a doer, and we miss her.”