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Triple R would like to extend our congratulations to Richard Watts, host of SmartArts since 2004, for receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to the arts and the Victorian community.

Of his recipency, Richard said “I confess to some mixed feelings initially about accepting a King’s Birthday Honour, as I’m very definitely not a monarchist, but as several close friends pointed out, Charlie didn’t actually give me the honour himself – I was nominated by arts sector peers who know my body of work and thought it deserved recognition. That made all the difference, which is why I said yes, I’d accept the honour. And the outpouring of support and congratulatory messages I’ve received as a result over the last couple of days have been enormously heartening and validating.”

“Art is a celebration of and the embodiment of what it means to be human, of what it means to be alive. Arts is an empathy machine that lets us walk in other peoples’ shoes and experience thoughts and feelings outside our own limited experiences. At its best, art is the closest thing to the sublime I’ll ever experience. I hope that I’ve managed to convey some of those ideas over the years on SmartArts – which I look forward to returning to soon once I’m on a more even keel.”

We are thrilled to see Richard's contribution to the arts, and the Victorian community more generally, formally recognised