Introduction

I grew up in a working class mining community in the semi-arid interior of Australia, 700 miles west of Sydney. As in working class communities in many parts of the world, formal education was taken very seriously, particularly by those who did not possess it themselves. It was the key to a better life. My father, who left school at the age of 11, took it as seriously as anyone. I’m not sure that he understood what it was, other than that it unlocked doors that had remained closed to him.