It is with deep sorrow that ICCROM has received the news of the death of our friend and colleague Kevin Kettle. We had the privilege to work with him during several years of collaboration in the design and implementation of joint activities organised with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization - Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SEAMEO-SPAFA) in Bangkok, Thailand, where he worked as Project Development Officer until 2013.
Kevin was instrumental in the formation and delivery of the CollAsia2010 programme to develop capacity of heritage professionals in Southeast Asia in collections conservation and management. His strategic thinking, practical ideas, hands-on approach, and keen interest in tangible and intangible heritage, as well as his knowledge about the region, enabled him to make great contributions to the programme, which brought success to the many training activities carried out across the region.
It was always evident that at the core of Kevin’s actions was his concern for human being. Courses, seminars, and events were carried out not for people, but with people. His approach to learning and development embedded the ownership and identity of colleagues in the projects. He valued everyone’s opinion and had a lot of empathy, which made him get along very well with his colleagues. His sharp wit, sense of humour, and facilitation skills were famous among the CollAsia community. He seamlessly incorporated different agendas and ways of working into the programme, and made them work well, while responding to partner’s needs and organizational strategies.
At SPAFA, Kevin led the Centre’s agendas on heritage and climate change, heritage and disaster risk reduction, heritage and peace building, and heritage and youth. He also believed in intangible heritage and its value in transforming conflicts - leading to the work in storytelling and gaming in collaboration with UNESCO APCIEU in Korea. In other words, Kevin was making heritage relevant in the contemporary world.
Looking back, Kevin was a true pioneer. A star project manager and facilitator, he brought with him a whole new perspective and work approach. He had a fundamental belief in the power of cultures, which demonstrated in his devotion in initiating and working on a series of training on Culture and Development, his brainchild and one of the biggest and most successful programmes SPAFA has ever done. This regional programme was directed at youth, to invest in their potential in making the world a better place through cultural understanding.
At ICCROM we learned to pay attention to and respect Kevin’s experience and understanding of the objectives and potential of different types of institutions participating in the activities. Sound strategies of collaboration were important to Kevin and the CollAsia2010 programme benefited from this approach enormously.
We want to thank Kevin for his humanity and for generously sharing his knowledge and experience, which has contributed enormously to shape a strong legacy in the heritage community in Southeast Asia and beyond.