Brendon Kelson died last Thursday in Canberra. He was a former Director of the Australian War Memorial, a friend of Honest History, and a passionate campaigner to protect national heritage and save his beloved Memorial from the destruction it is at present undergoing.
Articles marking Brendon’s death came from Doug Dingwall in the Canberra Times and Ian Bushnell in The Riot Act. They included quotes from Brendon’s colleagues and friends. Journalist and author Paul Daley tweeted:
A giant of Australian public service, a great intellect & fearless guy who spoke truth to power, and a lovely man. A life very well lived. Better for knowing him. Condolences to @marcuskelson and his family and Brendon’s many friends and admirers.
I personally admired Brendon for his wisdom, political savvy and courage in the face of illness. I’ll miss him.
Eulogy and obituary from Dr Michael McKernan.
David Stephens
29 March 2022 updated
David Stephens is editor of the Honest History website and has been convener of the Heritage Guardians group (including Brendon) campaigning against the War Memorial project. Apologies for the delay in posting this note but HH has been off the air, during move from Canberra to Melbourne.