On 21 March 1941, the Council of the Workers' Educational Association of Victoria, Australia, (the Association) voted the organisation out of existence. The demise was in no way contemplated, and there was no practical reason why the Council acted in the way it did. This paper is the story of the destruction of a successful adult education provider in the State of Victoria, the roles taken by leading intellectuals, specifically Colin Robert Badger, and the subsequent myth that developed to explain this destruction. A brief description of the development of adult education in Australia is presented. This is followed by an analysis of the growth of the Association in Victoria and the role of Colin Robert Badger in ensuring its destruction. The paper concludes with an analysis of the myth that developed following the demise of the Association.