Life Members

Daphne Hone

Daphne Hone was awarded the first Life Membership of the School Library Association of New South Wales after years of voluntary and time-consuming service. She and John Hirst were founding members in 1964. Daphne helped in founding the Australian School Library Association and, representing the NSW organisation, she attended the inaugural meeting of the national body in Melbourne. Later, in Adelaide, she was the leader in the discussion on ways to liaise with the Library Association of Australia.

Daphne believed that the Association needed to help young teachers and needed to involve private as well as government schools in this process. The impetus of the Association under Daphne's guidance was to provide support for country teacher-librarians, especially those in isolated situations, and to help solve individual school library problems.

The establishment of the Newcastle, Wollongong and Bathurst chapters of the Association endeavoured to provide local district support. At that time, there were up to 1000 members in Australia and overseas. The Association had extensive world-wide contacts and world-wide circulation of its journal, The Teacher Librarian.

Most importantly, it was largely through Daphne's efforts, and those of other committee members at the time, that the School Library Association of NSW was successful in retaining the copyright of the How & Where Directory when commercial interests threatened.  All in all, Daphne Hone is a remarkable woman who made the members of the School Library Association of NSW her extended family.

Margaret Lawther

Dot Hoy

Peg Craddock

Peg became our fourth Life Member in 1995. Her work for the Association was recognised in 1994 when she was awarded the John Hirst Award but the honour of the Life Membership was the culmination of her career.

John H Lee

Bill Sommerville

Roy Crotty