Yarrawonga Staff

Big Rivers ELC Staff

Our Founder, Lavinia Mills

08 July 1944 – 27 May 2014

Lavinia Mills Leaves a Huge Legacy in the Family Day Care Profession.

Lavinia Mills was an icon in the child care profession in the Northern Territory before passing away in May, 2014. Lavinia was a born leader and was in fact born in Sinuvaca, Koro, Fiji in 1944 to Silivenusi Namata and Asenaca Bonocibau. Lavinia grew up in Koro where she attended primary school and later at Delana Methodist Primary School in Levuka, the old capital of Fiji. Her high school education continued at Adi Cakobau School, a well-known boarding school for girls with high academic potential.

Lavinia’s tertiary education commenced at the Nasinu Training College where she completed a two year teaching course in 1966. Her first posting in the following year was out to Bua District School in Vanua Levu. She then taught at several schools including Veuto Primary School and the International Primary School.

This is significant in that she was the first locally appointed teacher as at that time International Primary was still sourcing expatriate teachers. Lavinia’s passion for education was not limited to imparting knowledge to young people, she was a keen student herself and was always furthering her own knowledge both formally and informally. In 1972, Lavinia moved overseas and completed a course on Infant Education at Wollongong Teachers College, New South Wales.

She returned to Fiji and continued her teaching career. From the classrooms, Lavinia moved into an administrative role where she worked as a Careers Officer with the Education Department of Fiji. Having tried an administrative role, Lavinia returned to her first love, taking up a teaching position at the International Primary School, where she remained until she migrated to Australia with her husband and family in the late ’80s. Lavinia dedicated the better part of the next 25 years plus years to developing improved outcomes for children through her own services that were set up and speaking on various committees both in the territory and nationally.

Lavinia had a real passion for inclusion and advocacy. When Lavinia first came to the Northern Territory she sought out the elders of the Aboriginal community to inform them that her family had just arrived onto their land and to respectfully seek their acknowledgement and she taught her three children to do the same. This meeting resulted in a friendship with the traditional owners of Larrakia which would last throughout Lavinia’s personal and professional life as she sought their valued input on many aspects in her work for best outcomes for children, their wellbeing and their culture.

Lavinia started her working life in Darwin with a child care position at the YWCA. She worked at seven child care centres and her passion for early childhood education culminated in her appointments on numerous State and Federal committees. She served on these committees with much dedication and enthusiasm.

In keeping with her love of education and community welfare, she spent 5 years at the Migrant Resource Centre as their Multicultural Children’s Liaison Officer, providing support to migrant and refugee families who faced English as a second language.

From humble beginnings Lavinia was the instrumental founder of the Kentish Family Day Care program which was established 30 years ago. This Early Childhood Education and Care program has grown from strength to strength over the years and evolved into Kentish Lifelong Learning & Care Inc. The program includes the provision of children accessing Family Day Care as well as children under the Care of the Minister. This program has grown from only having a small number of children and educators to having over 200 children and 70 Coordinators and Educators.

It is a testament to Lavinia’s drive and commitment to social justice, community welfare, access and equity for all children that has seen Kentish evolve from a small day care centre to a thriving lifelong learning and care provider. Lavinia knew the name of every child at “Kentish”, their situations and their needs, strengths and interests. She was always willing and available to offer her advice and opinion on any matter whenever it was sought. And she was always prepared to help anybody new to the sector.

Since the 1980’s Lavinia took on many voluntary roles on committees and not for profit groups that were focused on best practice for early childhood. Lavinia successfully worked at CEO level and at the ground roots level. Lavinia was on the Early Childhood Australia Northern Territory committee for a number of years and was also on the national Early Childhood Australia board for the development and establishment of the Reconciliation Action Plan. Lavinia worked tirelessly with a proven ability as an organisational leader who set directions in order to achieve key outcomes for projects, service provision and to build progressive and sustainable operations that met the needs of children, their families and the communities that her organisation worked with.

Lavinia worked with all levels of government on early childhood advocacy issues. Lavinia’s determination to continuously expand the Kentish program to provide sufficient services to the community, led to her lobbying the government for a new purpose built facility for the expanding Kentish program, a letter from the NT Government Lands and Planning arrived in the post to approve a site where this facility is approved to be built. This letter arrived one week before Lavinia’s death and although she couldn’t open her eyes she had a big smile and gave the ‘big thumbs up’.

Sadly, Lavinia passed away on the 27th May, 2014 after a short illness. She remained committed to her family, friends and beloved profession of valuing every child to the very end. Lavinia’s family, friends, work associates and the Kentish staff, educators and children celebrated Lavinia’s rich life on 6th June, 2014.

Lavinia was a lady of strong faith and her funeral was a very fitting and emotional tribute to a lady who leaves a great legacy behind. Her husband and family spoke so fondly of this amazing strong and devoted wife, mother and grandmother. There was singing both from the Fijian choir as well as local Aboriginal work colleagues with the didgeridoo.

The foundation that the late Lavinia Mills established lives on today and will be the guiding light for the future of Kentish.

Vale Lavinia Mills.