Prominent Redlands resident, Rev. Dr Noel Preston AM - social justice advocate, ethicist, academic, commentator and Uniting Church minister - died on October 22, after a long illness. He was 78.
The son of Rev. Arthur Preston, who established the Blue Nursing Service and other pioneering ventures at West End Methodist Mission in the 1950s, Noel Preston was a teacher before training for the Methodist ministry in Brisbane, being ordained in 1967.
His doctoral studies in ethics and public theology in the USA during the early 1970s set the stage for a vocation of grassroots social activism and academic research dedicated to concerns about discrimination, human rights, anti-discrimination, public ethics, economic justice and the environment.
For over 30 years from the mid-1970s, Dr Preston was a controversial but respected figure in social and political debates in Queensland, often drawing criticism from the conservative governments of the time over Aboriginal rights, industrial reform, sexual discrimination and nuclear disarmament.
He was instrumental in public sector reform in the wake of the Fitzgerald Inquiry in the 1980s, becoming a national leader in the teaching of public and professional ethics at QUT and Griffith University.
Author of various books, including the foundational text Understanding Ethics, Dr Preston became a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the community in the field of ethics in 2004.
Moving to Wellington Point in 2011 after retirement, Dr Preston was drawn into U3A Redlands and became a popular speaker and course leader on ethics issues and Life in Australia. He was co-founder of the U3A meditation course and, with his wife Olga Harris, part of the U3A Choir.
President of U3A Redlands Debra Barker said Dr Preston was highly regarded for his insightful teaching, masterful group leadership and kind, compassionate demeanour.
Dr Preston also co-founded Redlands for Refugees at Wellington Point Uniting Church in October 2013, a grassroots church and community group supporting refugees and advocating for humanitarian policies towards asylum seekers.
Redlands for Refugees president Lyn Moore said Dr Preston was an inspiring and committed activist who blended his knowledge of political ethics with practical compassion which saw him and Olga open their home to an Egyptian refugee for one year.
Dr Preston is survived by Olga, his three children and six grandchildren.
David Busch
