Philip Crosbie Morrison (19 December 1900 – 1 March 1958) was an Australian
naturalist, educator, journalist, broadcaster and conservationist.
Early years
Morrison was born in
Hawthorn, Victoria. He attended
Auburn State School and
University High School. In 1918 he became a teacher at
Wesley College. He entered
Melbourne University
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...
in 1921 where he studied
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...
, obtaining a
BSc
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
in 1924 and a
MSc in 1926.
[ Pizzey, Graham, 'Morrison, Philip Crosbie (1900–1958)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/morrison-philip-crosbie-11177/text19917, accessed 22 March 2012.]
The journalist and educator
In 1926 Morrison joined the staff of the
Melbourne Argus
''The Argus'' was an Australian daily morning newspaper in Melbourne from 2 June 1846 to 19 January 1957, and was considered to be the general Australian newspaper of record for this period. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most ...
as a journalist. In 1938 he was persuaded by
Keith Murdoch
Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist, businessman and the father of Rupert Murdoch, the current Executive chairman for News Corporation and the chairman of Fox Corporation.
Early life
Murdoc ...
to accept the position of founding editor of a new monthly magazine,
''Wild Life''. In order to promote the magazine he also began a series of weekly radio broadcasts on the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
(through
3AR),
3UZ
RSN Racing & Sport (ACMA callsign: 3UZ) is an Australian radio station in Australia. Owned and operated by thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing bodies of Victoria, it broadcasts a sports radio format to Melbourne, and to much of Victori ...
and
3DB. His ''Wild Life'' series on 3DB ran for over 20 years and made him an admired radio personality. It was syndicated throughout Australia on the
Major Broadcasting Network
The Major Broadcasting Network was an important part of the Australian broadcasting scene from 1938 until the 1970s.
History and background
In 1938 David Worrall, manager of 3DB Melbourne, launched the Major Broadcasting Network which up until i ...
. He was also a prominent panelist on 3DB's popular
Information Please
''Information Please'' is an American radio quiz show, created by Dan Golenpaul, which aired on NBC from May 17, 1938, to April 22, 1951. The title was the contemporary phrase used to request from telephone operators what was then called "info ...
, which was also heard Australia-wide through the Major network.
[
During the ]Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
he also served for a while as the Victorian state publicity censor, and later with the broadcasting division of the federal Department of Information, until policy disagreements forced his departure. He also worked as a lecturer in natural history with the Victorian Council of Adult Education and, from 1942, with the Australian Army Education Service,[ and contributed articles to ''Walkabout'' magazine.]
The conservationist
Morrison had long promoted the protection of wildlife and the need for proper management of national parks in his radio broadcasts and in ''Wild Life'' magazine. In 1952 he became the inaugural chairman of the newly formed Victorian National Parks Association. In 1957 he was appointed the first director of the Victorian National Parks Authority.[
]
Personal life
Morrison married Lucy Frances Washington on 8 March 1930. He died on 1 March 1958 of a cerebral haemorrhage at his home in Brighton, survived by his wife and two sons.[
]
Honours
* 1941-1943 – President of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
* 1947 – awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation.
It was founded in May 1880 by a group of nature enthusiasts that included Thomas Pennington Lucas. Sophie C. Ducker,Lucas, Arthur Henr ...
* 1949-1951 – President of the Royal Society of Victoria
The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is the oldest scientific society in the state of Victoria in Australia.
Foundation
In 1854 two organisations formed with similar aims and membership, these being ''The Philosophical Society of Victoria'' (fo ...
* 1955-1958 – Vice-president and chairman of the National Museum of Victoria
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
The Crosbie Morrison Building and nearby Amphitheatre at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, were named for him.
Publications
Apart from numerous articles, papers and reports published in ''Wild Life'' and elsewhere, books authored by Morrison include two posthumous compilations of material from his radio broadcasts:
* 1961 – ''Along the Track with Crosbie Morrison''. Whitcombe & Tombs (Australia).
* 1961 – ''Nature Talks to New Zealanders''. Whitcombe & Tombs: Christchurch.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Philip Crosbie
1900 births
1958 deaths
Australian nature writers
Radio personalities from Melbourne
20th-century Australian zoologists
Australian conservationists
Australian magazine editors
20th-century Australian journalists
20th-century naturalists
The Argus (Melbourne) people
Australian book and manuscript collectors
People from Hawthorn, Victoria
University of Melbourne alumni