I first encountered the remarkable force that was Joan Kirner in a simple downtown office. It was the best part of 35 years ago, and Kirner was heading up the Victorian Federation of States School Parents' Clubs.
As lobby groups went, it was formidable, taking on ministers and the state education bureaucracy to get a better deal for Victoria's public education system. Kirner, a former teacher, was a driving force in mobilising the potential of parents to deliver change.
Victoria's first and only female premier, Joan Kirner, has died after a two-year battle with cancer.
I was young cadet reporter on the education beat, so the two of us were a good fit: Kirner, in search of a public platform, and me in search of a story. The combination worked well, as Kirner produced story after story designed to improve conditions in our schools and the education of our children.