Thursday, 3 August 2023

Dr Lewis Bernard Hughes

Daniela DE MARTINO (Monbulk) (10:02): On another matter. I would like to acknowledge the life of Dr Lewis Bernard Hughes, a long-time resident of Mount Dandenong with a fervent passion for lifelong education. Born in 1939, Lewis had a brilliant mind. In his later years, at just shy of 60, he undertook his masters in professional education and training and completed his doctorate of philosophy at Deakin University at the age of 68, an achievement of which he was very proud.

In later years he was made an honorary fellow, and his memorial was filled with many former colleagues who spoke highly of and with great fondness for him. His intellectual curiosity and passion for lifelong education was highly regarded by his peers. He was dedicated to his wife Libby, who passed away several years ago. During her illness they began considering how their fervent belief in the power of education and desire to make a difference could live beyond them and benefit future generations, and they decided to become bequestors of doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships in lifelong learning within the school of education at Deakin University. With Lewis’s passing their legacy will continue through this generous bequest. In an article about the decision to set up the scholarship, he stated:

We believe that the measure of one’s life is centred on what you contribute, not about what assets you have.

Vale, Lewis Hughes.