John Laurence Lambert (November 2, 1936 – December 2, 2014) was an Australian educator and author.

Early life and education

John Lambert was born in 1936 at the western New South Wales town of

Wilcannia Wilcannia is a small town located within the Central Darling Shire in north western New South Wales, Australia. Located on the Darling River, the town was the third largest inland port in the country during the river boat era of the mid-19th ce ...

where his father was an Anglican minister with the Bush Church Aid society. As his father moved, he lived in

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

, Katoomba and Springwood attending school in those areas. Lambert studied education at the

Sydney Teachers' College The Sydney Teachers' College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until the end of 1981, when it became the Sydney Institute of Education, a part of the new Sydney College of ...

, achieving both his Bachelor of Arts, and

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the ...

. He subsequently completed a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1980.

Education career

Lambert taught English and history at

Sydney Boys High School Sydney Boys High School (”SBHS”), otherwise known as The Sydney High School (“SHS”) or High, is a Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded Single-sex school, single-sex Selective school (New South Wales), academically s ...

and St Marys High, where he also became the leader of the local cadet unit and band master. He was appointed English/history master at

Cabramatta High School Cabramatta High School (abbreviated as CHS) is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school, located on Aladore Avenue, Cabramatta, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1958, t ...

in 1966. He then advanced from direct teaching roles to a variety of inspector and administrative positions within the New South Wales Department of Education: * 1971 joined panel of Inspectors of Secondary Schools * 1980 helped develop 1980 history syllabus * 1980 seconded to the Advanced Education Board * 1980 provided advice to

Sydney College of Divinity The Sydney College of Divinity (SCD) is a consortium of Christian theological educational institutions and Bible colleges based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The college is structured as a federation of member institutions, each of which ...

and the

Australian College of Theology The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology and was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an a ...

* 1981–1982 Staff Inspector of Properties * 1983–1986 Director Western Region * 1986 Director Studies Directorate * 1988 Assistant Director-General * 1989 Deputy Director-General Program and Planning * 1990–1994 founding president of NSW Board of Studies From 1994 to 2010, after leaving the Department of Education, Lambert took up a role with the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation as schools development officer, leading the site selection, establishment and early years of school growth for a network of low fee, Christian schools in the west and south of Sydney and New South Wales south coast. A task that subsequently established nine new schools, commencing with Penrith Anglican College. His role also assisted in the transition of three other independent schools into the Anglican Schools Corporation, and the planning of several new schools that did not subsequently proceed.

Personal life

Lambert married Janice Stephens in 1958 and lived in Warrimoo in the Blue Mountains. Together they had three children. Janice died in 2011. Lambert subsequently married Jennifer Wearn in 2012. Throughout his life Lambert was a committed Christian, for many years involved in the Anglican Church at Springwood where he served as lay preacher, warden and parish councillor. Lambert was also a prolific writer of hymns, with 76 of them printed in a compilation, ''Hymns for the Twenty First Century'', prepared after his death by his local church.

Death

Lambert died at home in Warrimoo on 2 December 2014. following a battle with lung cancer.

Biography

John Goddard wrote a biography of Lambert entitled ''To Seek Beyond the Known'' in 2017.

Awards

He was recognised with the

Anniversary of National Service 1951–1972 Medal The Anniversary of National Service 1951–1972 Medal is a commemorative medal awarded to Australians for their service in post-war national service schemes. There is no post-nominal for this medal. Description * The Anniversary of National Se ...

for his National Service in the early 1950s. Lambert was awarded a member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2001 for "service to education, particularly in the area of curriculum development frameworks within New South Wales, and to the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation".

Published works

Non fiction

* ''Handbook of Modern History: Book One'' (1961-1962) – Melbourne : Cheshire * ''Handbook of Modern History: Book Two'' (1966) – Melbourne : Cheshire

Hymns

* ''Hymns for the Twenty First Century'' (2015) – compiled by Patricia Browne

Monographs

* ''High School Education and Industry in the United States a Report Compiled Following a Visit to the United States On a Fulbright Scholarship March/April 1988'' (1988) – ydney N.S.W. Dept. of Education * ''The Liberal Tradition: Problems With Competencies, Profiles and Vocationalism'' (1994) - Sydney : Monograph (Australian College of Education. N.S.W. Chapter) No 21

Novels

* ''A Land of Plenty'' (2009) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, * ''Beyond All Seas'' (2010) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, * ''Arthur: King of the Britons'' (2011) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, * ''Apocalypse'' (2013) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, * ''A Promise Kept'' (2013) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, * NSW Australian series ** ''Two Tales of the Mountains'' (2011) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, ** ''Two Tales of the West'' (2013) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, * Weston trilogy ** ''Risk and Reward'' (2012) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, ** ''Lost and Forgotten'' (2011) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld, ** ''Encounter Hall'' (2011) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld,

Short stories

* ''The Lamp and Other Stories'' (2014) – Zeus, Burleigh Qld,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, John Laurence 1936 births 2014 deaths University of Sydney alumni 21st-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian non-fiction writers Members of the Order of Australia Australian Christians