John Lambert was a remarkable figure in the life of New South Wales education, both state and independent, for over half a century. He contributed energy and vision as few others, if any, have done. This life of John, commencing in Wilcannia in the heart of far-western NSW, traces the development of that vision, through senior positions in the state Department of Education through to his time as foundation President of the Board of Studies and to his influential role in the creation of many low-fee Anglican schools. Through it all, the phrase "To seek beyond the known" encapsulates the forward-looking approach of a man who was determined to make fresh and enlivening opportunities in education available for all.