ONE of the founders of Tweed's mobile Life Education Unit, who passed away early Tuesday, has been praised for her work.

Former long-serving mayor Max Boyd, who was shire president when the service began, said Judy Saunders had come up with the idea of a mobile unit after attending a Banana Festival dinner addressed by the Rev. Ted Noffs on his success in teaching children about the dangers of drugs at his Wayside Chapel in Sydney.

“She was very impressed with the concept,” said Mr Boyd.

“She said we could probably not afford a permanent structure in the Tweed but it would be good to have a similar arrangement that would be mobile and could be moved from school to school.”

As a result of her push Mr Boyd said a small committee was formed, with himself as chairman, and the then developer of the Greenbank Island housing area at Tweed Heads, Lend Lease, “generously agreed to donate a van lock, stock and barrel.”

The unit has now been visiting schools for more than 30 years.

The original mobile Life Education Unit – the first of its kind in the world – was subsequently replaced with funding from the council when it “wore out”.

Later funds were provided by the state-wide Life Education movement.

Earlier this year Mr Boyd and others, particularly the Murwil- lumbah Rotary Club, began fund- raising $30,000 to meet a shortfall in revenue for the unit. Tweed Shire Council dipped in with $3000.

A family spokeswoman said Mrs Saunders and her late husband Quentin settled on the Tweed in 1952 and raised their eight child- ren in Murwillumbah.

As young naval officers, Mr and Mrs Saunders met on board a troop train as it passed through Tweed and both vowed to return.