Noel Purdon, a multifaceted scholar and artist, was raised on the picturesque coast of New South Wales, Australia. His love for sailing and archaeology led him to explore the world, fostering a lifelong passion for travel and discovery. Purdon’s academic pursuits took him to Sydney, Florence, Bristol and Cambridge, where he became a Fellow in English at Trinity Hall in 1967. While at Cambridge, he worked with Raymond Williams to introduce the first cinema lectures within the English Tripos.