Tribute provided by TCL
It is with very heavy hearts that we share the news that Simon Brown - a great friend, colleague, mentor and all round extremely lovable person died on the 5th of April with his beloved wife Bec and daughter MacKenzie by his side. Simon had been very unwell with terminal cancer for about a year and a half, but his death is still a shock to all at TCL who knew and loved him.
Simon was trained as an architect, horticulturalist and more recently as an environmental scientist, and was an integral person on many of TCL’s seminal projects from 2000. Simon had numerous talents including his forensic ability to delve into the detail and minutia of a project, his ability to work on complex urban projects, as well as in environmentally sensitive locations such as national parks. The first project he worked on was the redevelopment of North Terrace in Adelaide, followed by the masterplan for the Adelaide Botanic Gardens (ABG), Adelaide Tram Shelters, The Mediterranean Garden at ABG, the redevelopment of Manly Corso in NSW and Wild Sea -the Southern Ocean exhibit at the Melbourne Zoo. In all of theses projects his training, skills, attention to detail, dedication and enthusiasm were invaluable.
Drawn by a love of the natural environment, in 2010 Simon left TCL to study environmental science and after completing a degree we welcomed him back in 2016. It really was a blessing to have him in the studio again. During this time Simon worked on the 20-year review of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens Masterplan, and a number of projects in highly sensitive environments including the Mon Repos Turtle Sanctuary in QLD, and the K’Gari (Fraser) Island National Park.
Simon had a gentle and at times quirky sense of humour and seemed to lack any sense of unwanted ego - he was always a team player and passionate about collaboratively achieving a shared vision and outcome. He was also a patient mentor to the younger staff and we all value the skills and knowledge he willingly passed onto others.
The images below show Simon enjoying himself at various AILA awards nights after the projects he worked on won recognition. They remind us how he always looked the part in his stylish black wedding jacket, how white wine was his drink of choice and how much we will miss our very dear friend and his warm- hearted smile.
Image collage clockwise from top left: Simon and Kevin receiving an award for North Terrace from judge Andrew Russell.
Simon with Emma Wood.
Simon sharing a joke with (now) T.C.L Director Damian Schultz
North Terrace by TCL
Image: John Gollings