Vale Elizabeth Grant CF 1963 - 2022

Image Above: South Australia’s Indigenous Landscape Architects and Architects (LtoR): Akea Turner, Paul Herzich, Jasmine Kerdel and Kirrakee Watson with Elizabeth Grant

Image source: Office for Design and Architecture SA

Back in July 2022, I lost a friend, a colleague and a mentor - Professor Elizabeth Grant CF, Architecture and Urban Design – who specialised in Indigenous architectural design, etc. I first met Elizabeth while studying my degrees at the University of Adelaide in 1999. Elizabeth was our lecturer for the Remote Aboriginal Housing subject, who took a small group of us on a university field trip up to Coober Pedy to visit and stay at Aboriginal communities as well as camping around a fire and out under the stars of the outback.

Elizabeth and I stayed in touch most of the last 23 years. We formed partnerships for projects like the recent Spirit of Place Exhibition, which showcased SA Aboriginal Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Placemaking – which was a first for South Australia.

What didn’t Elizabeth do – she was a Churchill Fellow, she published 4 books and over 70 papers, peer reviewed and was a referee for more than 10 international architectural journals, the list goes on and on and on and on – she was an absolutely amazing person, but that was Elizabeth, she loved it and she was so good at her work and so good at bringing people together - I don’t think there is anyone she didn't know?

Elizabeth was always a hoot and she loved a good laugh – of which I and others will miss dearly. I am glad however, that in just days before her passing, I talked to Elizabeth on the phone, as we were planning the next BIG things - projects, papers, books and traveling around Australia promoting Indigenous architecture and landscape architecture to Aboriginal communities and beyond. The sudden passing of Elizabeth hit myself and a lot of others hard. It will be a long time before getting used of the idea.

Being asked to contribute an article with Jefa Greenaway and reviewed by Elizabeth’s husband Leonard (Tamahae) Cohen for Architecture Australia (AA) for Elizabeth was a great privilege and an honour.

ArchitectureAU Article: https://architectureau.com/contributors/Herzich-Paul-Munaitya/