Life-Deep Learning: A Journey with Peter Kearns AM

The inspiring story of Peter Kearns is a living testament to the concept of "life-deep learning". In 2023, National Seniors Australia developed a Lifelong Learning Policy to highlight the benefits of lifelong learning and also the experience and contributions of seniors developed over a lifetime. This policy encompasses not just lifelong and life-wide learning, but also the profound idea of deep learning, where life is viewed in interactive stages that learners can draw upon, synthesizing lessons from the entirety of their life experiences.

Peter Kearns' life is a vivid illustration of this transformative concept. Born in a humble Sydney home in 1931, Peter faced early adversity with the death of his father at the age of nine. Raised by his grandmother, he navigated through high school and Sydney Teachers College, eventually becoming a teacher, without a university degree. His educational journey continued at Sydney University as an evening student, culminating in a BA Honours in History.

His professional journey took diverse turns, from teaching in high schools to serving as Director of International Relations in the Commonwealth Department of Education during the Whitlam Government. This role led him to represent Australia in international conferences in Bangkok and Baguio City, Philippines with the Minister Kim E. Beazley. He also represented Australia in a UNESCO conference in Tokyo which sparked a lifelong interest in UNESCO. Subsequently, he worked at the Australian Embassy in Paris for three years, serving as a member of the Australin Delegation to OECD. He contributed to international OECD meetings on education, manpower, industrial relations, and social affairs.

Upon early retirement, Peter co-founded Global Learning Services, a consultancy company that initially focused on competency-based industry training. Over time, his passion for learning and community development expanded to include international interests. He was a member of an international COSTAX Mission that studied industry training around the world. The mission visited German, UK, USA, Canada, Sweden, Singapore and recommended that Australia develop a system of competency-based training along the lines of the system developed in the UK.

After moving to Brisbane in 2007, he transitioned from his consultancy to an associate role in Global Learning Services. In this role as a volunteer, Peter fostered Learning Cities networks in Cork, Limerick, Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei.

His involvement in PASCAL's international work, particularly in Cork and Taipei, showcased his ability to draw on a lifetime of varied experiences. Serving on the National Council of National Seniors Australia further demonstrated his application of life-deep learning to navigate the evolving landscape of an aging Australian society. Peter has particularly contributed to organisational policies on Lifelong learning and healthy ageing.

Peter emphasises that the ease of transferring his experiences was facilitated by learning across various stages of his life, forming a process of life-deep learning. He contends that specific knowledge gained is grounded in cultural influences and values cultivated over a lifetime, a perspective reinforced during visits to diverse countries.

A key turning point was his visit to South Africa in 2018, where he encountered the African concept of ubuntu, emphasising humanity and interconnectedness, or “I am because you are”. This profound experience encapsulates Peter's outlook on life and learning, encapsulated in the concept of life-deep learning.

Recognized with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1997 and subsequently becoming a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2021, Peter documented his rich life in a memoir titled "The Path from Petersham." This reflective journey, from poverty to rich global experiences, also led him back to his family heritage, intertwining with his ancestors who arrived in Australia as convicts.

With family now scattered worldwide, Peter sees himself as a citizen of the world, endowed with broad perspectives, vastly distant from his early years in inner Sydney. His life stands as a testament to the transformative power of lifelong, life-wide, and most significantly, life-deep learning.

Note: Peter is also an active member of National Seniors Australia Kenmore Branch in the western suburbs of Brisbane. The branch has a focus on lifelong learning, including curating a program of speakers on healthy ageing for Queensland Seniors Month. For more information on the Kenmore Branch visit: Kenmore Branch