AusHeritage is saddened by the passing away of our previous board member and cultural heritage champion Dr David Dolan.

“Dr Dolan had the challenging task of raising awareness and creating commitment to the value of our heritage, both cultural and natural, in a State that craved progress. As professor of cultural heritage at Curtin University and chairman of the National Trust (WA), he made eloquent demands to preserve pointers to a bygone way of life, though he did not always win popular support.

“Yet Dr Dolan was both a skilled practitioner who not only overhauled the professionalism of the National Trust (WA) but also left an enduring legacy, having tutored nearly every heritage professional in the State, mostly women students in the cultural heritage course that he established at Curtin University in 1995. No matter how painful were the barbs of the heritage debate, he remained good-natured.

“He was councilor with the Heritage Council from 1996-2001 and again from 2005 and was a councilor on the National Trust (WA) from 1995, serving as chairman from 2001-2007. He served on WA Museum’s maritime archaeology advisory committee and was a past president of the Friends of the Art Gallery of WA.

“Nationally, he was a director on the boards of AusHeritage, the Australian Miners and Prospectors Hall of Fame, and the Australian Council of National Trusts. He was an expert adviser to the National Museum of Australia.

“David Dolan died on Tuesday at home in Perth from complications associated with cancer. He is survived by his wife, children and three grandsons”.

‘West Australian’, 10 December 2010, pages 62-3, full article: A_fighter_for_our_heritage.pdf