Tribute By Joan Britton

 

Patricia Hilson, teacher, educationalist, died in Sydney on July 25th 1996; she was 58. Patricia Hilson played a pivotal role in the rebirth of Montessori education in Australia and its resurgence in the 1980's and 1990's. She was a leader in the development and practice of the Montessori philosophy world wide and was always a guardian of its quality and purity of practice.

Patricia was born and educated in Perth and after graduating from Graylands Teachers College started her teaching career in a secondary school. Degrees and diplomas followed her studies at the Conservatorium of Music, Churchlands College of Advanced Education and in 1988 she was awarded masters of education degree from Canberra University.

In 1972 Pat Hilson moved to London with her family and enrolled her daughter Jane at the Montessori school in Battersea. Here she became deeply involved in the educational philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori. She graduated from the Maria Montessori Training Organisation in 1974 and established a Montessori school. In 1978 she followed by studying and obtaining her diploma for the 6-12 yrs elementary course in Bergamo.

She returned with her family to Australia and became very active in the Montessori communities in Perth, Canberra and Sydney. Patricia Hilson was instrumental in establishing the Montessori Teachers College in Sydney in 1982. In 1990 she became the AMI Director of Training in Australia and the principal of the college. She was the first and only Australian to fulfil this role. She was an educator of rare talent and inspiration. Though seriously ill with cancer she was ceaselessly active in the Montessori community and was determined to carry on as long as her strength allowed. In March 1996, in one of her brief periods of remission from her illness, Pat officiated as an AMI external examiner at the final examinations and graduation of students in Tokyo and Korea.

To quote the words of her husband Barry, 'Pat embraced this final professional opportunity with both arms. She was, as you would expect, an exceptional examiner. It was pleasing to see how much she enjoyed the professional challenge and to see the enormous respect shown to her by the staff, students and the alumni in both Korea and Japan. I was glad she had this opportunity.'

Pat's outstanding qualities of relentless devotion to truth, her integrity, her vision, her inteflect, her sensitivity; her generosity of spirit, her loyalty and her love of and faith in young children were all concentrated in her devotion to the education and training of all those undertaking the responsibility for aiding the development of the young child.