I have known Al since 1955. He was always a kind person and friendly. Over the many years we have kept in touch. Al achieved much. He led an expedition into the bush with Dook in search of a hideout of Ned Kelly. He was effective in preventing that bush from being a pine forest. He had a wonderful garden. The Bobinawarrah olive legless lizard was found on Al and Dook’s farm. As with you all, I am very saddened by the passing of Al. My heart goes out to Dook and Lorraine and and all the family.
Dennis

Dear friend Al,
So humble, and so generous in sharing your vast knowledge, love, and passion for the natural environment in all its forms. The world is a better place for your being here. With us always,
Chrissie

I have known Alan since 2014. I contacted him out of the blue to ask about a Kelly site in the ranges near Bobinawarrah, and a week later he very kindly led me and my son to that very site. Since then I have dropped in on him from time to time if I was up Bobinawarrah way, and we occasionally spoke on the phone about things of mutual interest. Alan had a very wide range of interests and knew a lot about the North East and the High Country. You would think being a farmer he would be tied to the land, but he travelled extensively, especially in search of some new species of Acacia. He loved showing people his garden and I have on my desk two very tough seed pods from the tree pictured. I would not have looked twice at this tree (Eu. Youngiana) had Alan not waxed so lyrical about how tough this species was to survive in the desert and about how much energy it would take for those pods to grow. It was quite a botanical lesson and something new that I learnt that day!

I am very sorry to hear of Alan’s passing and offer my condolences to his family. He was a very fine man.

So sad to lose such a great friend and mentor. Alan was generous with his time and energy to help and protect our native environment. He loved a cheeky jibe and sought to increase his sphere of knowledge daily. His photos spoke thousands of words. Members of the Bobinawarrah/Carboor valley have much to be grateful to him for.
Sincere condolences to Graham, Lorraine and family from Margaret, Demelza & Alastair Clay.

Alan was a great mate and travelling partner who explored Africa three times.
He even befriended the great silver-backed gorilla!
He enjoyed nature and the people around him and would have a go at anything. It was a priviledge to have known him.
Forever remembered,
Davo

It was a joy to be in Al’s company.
His quiet unassuming manner belied his incredible wisdom and knowledge – which he was always willing to share – especially where it related to caring for the environment.
We (DELWP) are so grateful for his passion and commitment to conservation; and thank him for his countless volunteer hours in the monitoring and protection of numerous threatened plant and animal species.
Long live the diversity of his much beloved Acacia’s.
Glen Johnson, Dept Environment Land Water & Planning (DELWP)

Alan was a lovely human being. He was one of those people who you always felt better after having a conversation with. I admired his dedication and actions towards conservation and native plants and animals, and also his adventurous spirit. His sense of humour was lovely . The world was all the better for having you in it Alan and you will be sadly missed by many.

Alan was a valued and long time member of the Wangaratta Historical Society. He was an interesting person, who’d lived a full life, collecting valuable information and experiences along the way- sharing this wisdom generously with those of us lucky enough to be considered friends. RIP Al.
Helen Al Helwani

After Al rang a couple of weeks ago to say goodbye, my mind wandered back over some of the great times we had together. I first stumbled across Al in the bush while doing wildlife survey in the Warbies in the early 1980s – Al was deeply engrossed in photographing Turquoise Parrots at the time. With a shared passion for nature and photography, we subsequently spent many happy trips in the bush together, looking at various plants or animals, or eagerly checking what surprise was waiting at the bottom of the next pitfall trap. Poring over photos (or, in pre-digital times, slide shows) in his lounge-room was a highlight, as was the garden tour. His enthusiasm for learning about nature was inspiring, but only one facet of this remarkable man. He could turn his hand to most things, and was always keen to learn and to generously share his diverse knowledge with others. When we met up in Bath in 2009, one of our companions said on Al’s departure – “There goes a true gentleman.” I will greatly miss his familiar drawn out welcome at the end of the phone. Bye old mate.
My sincere condolences to Al’s family, and to his many friends, all of whom I am sure are far better people for having known Al.

Al you will forever have a place in my heart as the truest gentleman and most beautiful soul. I only wish my young son had the opportunity to learn from your wise words and kind heart. I fondly remember our time out bush collecting seed-gee it made us both laugh to have me, the young city upstart, as your ‘boss’ informing you of the PPE you were meant to wear… like a seasoned bushie doesn’t know any better!? I learnt so so much from your generous and humble self and am still in awe of your affinity for the land, our planet and all it’s quirky plants and animals. And it still makes me smile to recall your visit with Ray out to Diamantina where the two of you took great delight gutting the old storeroom we were prepping to become the visitor info centre out there. Like excited kids you two were and such a hilarious duo at the dinner table sharing your stories and jokes with us….my sides are still sore to this day.
Like others who’ve written before me, our world was and still is a better place for having you in it-I imagine you touched the hearts of many and will continue to do so through the generations still here to share their fond memories of your precious time on this earth. Love to all and blessings to you my dear friend xx