Letters
Lionel Phelps AM – A Tribute
Ed,
Lionel Phelps was unquestionably a champion of universal education as the basis for a humane society of equals.
I sat with Lionel Phelps as a member of the Council of the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education from 1978, when I was first appointed by Minister for Education Eric Bedford, until 1989. Together with Bundjalung elder the late Bertha Kapeen I was the other Indigenous member of Council, coming from the Yaegl Nation of the Clarence Valley.
Lionel Phelps was an unequivocal supporter along with other members of the College’s Council and its Principals of our initiative to establish the North Coast Institute for Aboriginal Community Education at the College which I chaired for the duration of my membership of Council.
From its small beginnings taking the message of the possibility of further education to our communities from Purfleet to the Tweed, the Institute promoted awareness of and pride in culture, identity and language. The presence of the Institute on the College campus and its advocacy for support services opened the doors of opportunity for an increasing number of Indigenous students from the Nations of the Northern Rivers and beyond.
Lionel Phelps championed our programs and advocacy for Aboriginal Education through these early days and to the greater levels attained by Southern Cross University to where it stands today.
Joyce Clague MBE
South Arm
Ed note: Lionel Phelps passed away on November 3, his funeral service was held on Tuesday November 20.