Ted Noffs was a great Australian with a vision that captured the world - from his apocalypse speech in the House of Commons in 1985, his teachings have exploded internationally through Life Education. In 1964 Rev. Ted Noffs commenced work at the Kings Cross Methodist Church Parish Mission, in Sydney, Australia.  Within the first months he renamed it "The Wayside Chapel".  Ted encountered his first overdose victim and was shocked at the lack of services and expertise in drug and alcohol treatment.  In 1967 Ted established "The Drug Referral Centre" at Rushcutters Bay.  Ted and Margaret (his wife) saw the enormous potential for demand reduction and preventative strategies and in 1974 set up "The Life Education Centre" (LEC) in Australia. In 1986 The LEC began operation in U.S.A. and the U.K.  In 1987 Trevor Grice travelled to Australia to meet Ted Noffs, only to arrive and hear from Margaret that Ted had suffered a massive stroke.  However the trip was not completely in vain, as Margaret gave to Trevor the writings of Ted Noffs, and Trevor came home to New Zealand with Margaret's and Wesley Noffs blessing to form Life Education Trust (NZ). Trevor Grice writes this of Ted Noffs and the philosophy of Life Education:

If we forget the fundamental roots of how LET was born, we will surely have difficulty with where we are heading. So many times it has been repeated: if you don't know the beginnings, you don't know where you are heading. Ted had fought his church and other institutions to help addicts in his crisis centre, which became famous worldwide. After many years with addicted people he realised equal emphasis had to be put into prevention, through education, and the seeds of Life Education were born. Original backing came from Dick Smith and Ted co-opted many young people including educators, nurses, doctors, to formulate the philosophy. In his early writings he stressed the importance of "building a better world for the children of the coming century". In all his decision making, he would ask of himself but one question: Will this build a better world for the children? Many times he was approached by individuals who, having heard his pleas, were eager and willing to help, but somehow became seduced on the journey, and started trying to build a better world for themselves. Ted often became frustrated with all the attendant difficulties of dealing with human beings. The success and vision of LET captured the hearts of thousands of Australians, and many of the helpers got caught up in the 'explosion' of LET. Television appearances, magazine articles, constant radio interviews, visits from Royalty (Prince Charles) and Prime Ministers, appealed to the egos of some people who forgot the original principle. The importance of unity within a structure became obviously essential to the survival of LET. Ted made endless pleas to all his fraternity to remember the three dynamics of Life Education. 1.  To teach every child how special and unique they are, to make every child comfortable with their identity. In the whole world there will never be another you. Nearly every segment of the entire original programme emphasised this point time and again. Ted would repeatedly demonstrate that it is OK to have freckles, be tall or short, have big ears, nose, different coloured skin, hair. Just keep reinforcing to little children "you are very special". Ted used Pablo Cassals beautiful words to drive home this dynamic message. "Sometimes I look about me with a feeling of complete dismay. In the confusion that conflicts the world today, I see a disrespect for the very values of life. Beauty is all around us, but how many are blind to it! They look at the wonder of this earth and seem to see nothing. Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. And look at your body - what a wonder it is! Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may became a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must cherish one another. You must work - we all must work - to make this world worthy of its children." 2.  To show children the magnificence of the human body, and all its systems - digestive, circulatory, sensory - using technology to demonstrate how mysterious these functions are, and stressing the body's needs for food, oxygen, water. He would then ask where do these things come from? Mother Earth and so he encapsulated a beautiful picture of our planet and all its ingredients and how we must look after the environment. 3.  The third message of Life Education derives from the first two. If I am unique then so is the person sitting next to me. If I am so special so are my school mates. If my body systems are miraculous then so are theirs and therefore if I learn to respect myself, I have to respect others, and he concluded that our happy existence on this planet depended on our respect for each other. The genius of this message is in its fundamental simplicity, and every segment of our programmes, old and new follows this vision. Every addict Ted had tried to help brought home to him the need to dramatise the fact "that there is no such thing as a nothing". Most youngsters in trouble had fused into their brain the belief that they were worth nothing. Low self esteem, caused by all the ravages of prostitution, destitution, and corruption, had most times seeded in early life, and Ted concluded we must get to children from their very first lessons. Ted used the quote from the poet Horace, who died a year before the birth of Christ, when speaking to educators outside a roman emporium - "new vessels will for long retain the taste of what is first poured into them". Ted Noffs worked on every health issue and succeeded in getting his programmes into health curricula with the assistance of his doctor and nurse friends. He realised that the delivery of his programmes would hinge on educators, who had charisma, commitment, and competence, and would need an ability to create mystery and drama in the classroom, now commonly known as the x factor. Equally as important were committed hard working trustees, who would support their educator and help raise the funds to support the entire project. Many times he stated the essential requirement of unity, and everyone working together in a national structure, with a common philosophy. While he kept the ground fertile and ready for suggestions, he had a deep insight into human nature, and stated many times that unless we all go forward......