Less obvious to the casual visitor is the series of wetlands surrounded by banksia woodlands running southward from the Swan River through a marvellous Melaleuca swamp on the south side of the campus and culminating in an area called The Spectacles. These wetlands are not only important environmentally but also spiritually and have great traditional significance. To walk through the swamp areas is to truly appreciate that this is a living part of Murdoch and to realise the responsibility the university must and does take in keeping the area as pristine as possible.  It was with this in mind that Murdoch purchased a stunning nine-metre-long canvas by Melbourne artist Andrew Browne, which considers just such a place.  However, the inspiration for Browne’s painting was a degraded area of nine hectares acquired by the McClelland Gallery + Sculpture Park adjacent to its current buildings. Browne’s painting is the culmination of a project commissioned in 2010 to document and respond to the swampland with photography and painting.  

Employing exquisite craftsmanship, Browne had worked up his composition from a pastiche of elements selected from his photographs, which he morphed into the forms that make up this monumental canvas. From the sludge dripping from an overflow drain to rags snagged on webs of branches, Browne choreographed elements of detritus into a baroque symphony of organic forms that border on elegance. Looking at this impressive work flips from the experience of a degraded environment into a land magically transformed into a poetry of place by the artist’s deft touch.

It is only fitting that such a work should be here at Murdoch University, to remind us of the rich environment we are living in and our responsibility to care for it.

Following retirement, Alan has contributed his knowledge and expertise to a variety of local and national boards and committees including several art Murdoch University. He was the Chair of Murdoch University Art Collection Board for 9 years from 2009 to 2017 and also served as a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Strategic Advisory Board during this time. Alan has also served on the National Portrait Gallery Board for 15 years from 2008 to 2022 and is current member of the WA Ballet Board since April 2023.

Alan was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, by the French Government in 2004, an Honorary Fellow by Edith Cowan University in 2007, was recognised with an honour in the Order of Australia (AM) in 2008 for service to the arts, plus awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Murdoch University in 2012 and by Curtin University in 2018.

Alan remains a highly valued, steadfast supporter of Murdoch University as one of the Art Collection’s most significant artwork donors and is the Collection’s official patron for its 50th Anniversary artwork donation campaign.