Lyn Knight's legacy to live on in the Macleay Valley

For 50 years, Lyn Knight made a commitment to put her heart and soul into teaching, so children could have the best possible start to life. More than 20 of those years were at Kempsey South Public School.

Ms Knight passed away on April 5 after spending her life fighting for social justice and advocating for disadvantaged communities.

Her daughter Jessica Austin said it took a long time for her to fully appreciate her mother's commitment to the community.

"She was very humble and didn't reveal much at all, and we are just finding out some more of the things she did in her life. Her impact is something that is so ingrained in everything she touched."

So much so, that the Kempsey community is now raising funds to honour her wish that more resources be committed to public schools.

Adam Skinner, Jessica's partner and a member of the NSW Teachers Federation, said Ms Knight believed a free education was a fundamental right.

"She had been furious at the general lack of funding for pre-school and school education," he said.

Ms Knight's former Kempsey South Public School colleague Sharyn Blackwell, said she will be remembered for her dedication to every student, her passion for performing arts - and her love of frogs.

"Her classroom was always dynamic, she always had amazing activities happening," she said.

"Because we come from such a low socio-economic area, she would give all the children the experiences that they couldn't otherwise get in Kempsey.

"She was the most amazing performing arts teacher. Throughout the 20 years she was here, we would have Shakespearean plays, dance groups, Swan Lake performances... and the kids really got a sense of culture from it."

Mrs Blackwell said a frog mosaic will be placed in the school to honour Ms Knight, and the money raised will go towards a performing arts section, which will be named after her.

"She loved frogs and all the kids knew about the frogs in her kindergarten room, so we will have a mosaic frog that will be placed in the school as her memorial.

"We are also looking into purchasing some moveable artboards, so we can have some art exhibitions... [they] will be in her name and honour.

"What she did for performing arts, and performing arts culture, was huge in the school, and we still haven't been able to bring it back to the extent that she did.

"For her, it was all about the kids... it was about what she could do for the students so that they had the best possible outcome in life."

Former student Adrian Davis, who now works at Fire and Rescue NSW in Newcastle, said he was one of the many kids Ms Knight taught at Kempsey South.

"I'm 32-years-old and [one of] the only teachers I remember... and have loved for most of my life... is Ms Knight.

"Even as I got older, I still kept in touch. She still wanted to see how I was going and if I was alright.

"As a young kid in Kempsey, there were a lot of obstacles and challenges within the family home and, whilst going to school, Ms Knight just made me feel loved and supported as a kid.

"It never felt like she was just a teacher, it felt more like she was a mother figure... because she was always trying to get the kids a better education and help them have a better future."

As an Indigenous person, Mr Davis said said she gave him the advice he needed to stay in school and continue his education.

"It was hard back then because there were a lot of family dynamics so kids didn't always go to school everyday. Ms Knight would always try and get them to come, until the kids actually wanted to go to school.

"We always knew that if times were hard at home, someone was going to be there at the school to help us."

Ms Knight was born in 1949 and grew up in Parramatta.

As the eldest of seven children, she helped raise her younger siblings and was, even then, considered the teacher in the family.

Jessica said her mother came from an impoverished background and saw teaching as "a way to get out". She won a scholarship to continue her studies and in 1968 graduated from Teachers College in Wagga Wagga.

In 1969, Ms Knight moved to New Guinea with her first husband where she taught in Popondetta. She was 19 when she gave birth to her first child Kristen. They went on to have two more children, Chad and Melissa.

The family moved to the UK in 1975 where Ms Knight started teaching in Watford, Hertfordshire. She separated from her husband and later met Chris Austin, a fellow teacher. They had three children together; Jessica, Abigail and Martha.

While working in Watford, Ms Knight helped start a refuge for victims of domestic violence. She had sat on the steps of the Town Hall and refused to leave until the council provided a house free from rates and other running costs.

Jessica said she can still remember going to rallies and protests as a young child. She said her mum always had a commitment to taking care of "the underdog".

"I think [that was] necessary in those communities - to have someone who was willing to make the time, commitment, [and to have the] loyalty and understanding to help those who were disadvantaged.

"The type of impact she had is something that people don't always notice until years later... she fought tirelessly for equity and justice for all."

In 1986, she returned to Australia with her partner and children and started teaching HSC Economics at Mount Druitt High School. In 1990 she moved to the Macleay Valley to teach Kindergarten at Frederickton Public School, before transferring to Kempsey South Public School in 1998, where she remained for 20 years.

Mr Davis said he will always be grateful for Ms Knight's support growing up.

"I was just one of the many students she had, so I can only imagine how many people she helped throughout her life.

"She was more than a teacher to a lot of kids... and her legacy will live on."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: