Table of Contents

1 'The WEA has come to stay': The first 40 years

2 Liberal education: Pursuing knowledge and understanding

3 The liberal tradition in practice

4 The WEA and Sydney University

5 Voluntaryism and democracy

6 Independent of government

7 Primarily a missionary body: Educational activity 1953-2000

8 Students and learning outcomes

9 A special and distinctive role

About the Author

Darryl Dymock is Deputy Director of the Centre for Lifelong Learning and Development, Adelaide, South Australia, and an Associate Professor at Flinders University. The research for this book was undertaken when he was teaching at the University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales. He has had a diverse experience in education, including in high schools, Army Education, public service training in Papua New Guinea and in university continuing education, as well as being a university lecturer and researcher in adult and workplace learning. This broad background underpins his present involvement in promoting, facilitating and researching lifelong learning and gives him insight into adult and community education organisations such as WEA Sydney.