Eric Arthur Frederic Worrell (
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
), (27 October 1924 – 13 July 1987) was an Australian
naturalist,
herpetologist
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...
and writer whose collection of snake venom was essential in the production of snake
anti-venom
Anti-Venom is a fictional antihero appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' #569 (August 2008), and was created by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr. The creature belongs to a race of amorp ...
in Australia.
[Everything: Eric Worrell]
/ref>
History
Eric was born at Granville, New South Wales
Granville is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Granville is located west of the Sydney central business district, split between the local government areas of Cumberland City Council and the City of Parra ...
the son of salesman[ and taxidriver][Nancy Cushing and Kevin Markwell ''Snake-Bitten: Eric Worrell and the Australian Reptile Park'' University of New South Wales Press (2010) ] (Charles) Percy Frederic Worrell and his wife Rita Mary Ann Worrell (née Rochester). Eric was educated at Glenmore Road Public School in Paddington
Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...
then Sydney Boys High School
, motto_translation = With Truth and Courage
, established =
, location = Cleveland Street, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, pu ...
. By the age of 10 he was keenly interested in wildlife, keeping reptiles and other animals at home (first at Paddington then around 1938, to Cecily Street, Lilyfield
Lilyfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lilyfield is located 6 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Inner West Council.
Lilyfie ...
). He was encouraged in his hobby by his parents and by George Cann, the " Snake Man of La Perouse",[Kevin Markwell and Nancy Cushing, 'Worrell, Eric Arthur Frederic (1924–1987)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/worrell-eric-arthur-frederic-15631/text26832, accessed 18 January 2013.] and latterly Keeper of Reptiles at Taronga Park Zoo
Taronga Zoo is a zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful water view'.
...
.
He left school at 13 and spent several years in work gangs in regional New South Wales and Queensland, studying drawing and photography in his spare time.[ During the Second World War he worked as a civilian ]blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
on the installation of shore artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
in Darwin and other work at Katherine
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Christ ...
, where he had many opportunities to study the local wildlife. After the war he and his friend, the poet Roland Robinson returned to the Northern Territory in 1946, collecting specimens for zoos and museums, and writing articles on Territory wildlife for magazines such as ''Walkabout''.[
In 1949, Worrell opened the Ocean Beach Aquarium at Umina Beach on the ]New South Wales Central Coast
The Central Coast is a peri-urban region in New South Wales, Australia, lying on the Tasman Sea coast to the north of Sydney and south of Newcastle.
The local government area of the Central Coast Council has an estimated population of 33 ...
. It was here in 1951 that he first started supplying tiger snake venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
to the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories
CSL Limited is an Australian multinational specialty biotechnology company that researches, develops, manufactures, and markets products to treat and prevent serious human medical conditions. CSL's product areas include blood plasma derivative ...
(CSL) in Melbourne. Taipan
Taipans are snakes of the genus ''Oxyuranus'' in the elapid family. They are large, fast-moving, highly venomous, and endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Three species are recognised, one of which, the coastal taipan, has two subspecies. Taipa ...
venom followed in 1952. He later expanded his repertoire to include spiders such as the Sydney funnel-web spider
The Sydney funnel-web spider (''Atrax robustus'') is a species of venomous mygalomorph spider native to eastern Australia, usually found within a radius of Sydney. It is a member of a group of spiders known as Australian funnel-web spiders. I ...
and exotic snakes.[ In 1955 CSL provided Worrell, together with Ken Slater and Ram Chandra with some of the first doses of Taipan antivenom, in recognition of the dangers involved in their work.
In 1958, he purchased land at ]Wyoming, New South Wales
Wyoming is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located northeast of Gosford's central business district. It is part of the local government area.
The Aboriginal inhabitants of the Wyoming area before European ...
, establishing the Australian Reptile Park
The Australian Reptile Park is located at Somersby on the Central Coast, New South Wales in Australia. It is about north of Sydney, and is just off the M1 Pacific Motorway. The Park has one of the largest reptile collections in Australia, w ...
, which opened in October 1959, with a large number of exotic as well as Australian animals. In 1963 he had a giant dinosaur statue erected at its entrance as a tourist drawcard, one of Australia's first "Big Things".[
In 1985, beset with personal, health and financial problems, he tried to sell the Reptile Park, but was bailed out with financial assistance from entertainer ]Bobby Limb
Robert "Bobby" Limb AO, OBE (10 November 1924 – 11 September 1999) was an Australian-born entertainment pioneer, comedian, band leader and musician and legend of radio, television and theatre of the 1960s and 1970s, he also founded the film a ...
and local businessman Ed Manners.[
He died of a heart attack at his home in the Reptile Park and was cremated.
In 1996, after Worrell's death, the Park was moved to Somersby.
]
Personal
Worrell married Carol Renee Hawkins, a shop assistant, on 31 July 1948 and had three children. They divorced in 1971.
He married his secretary Robyn Beverley Innes on 16 June 1973. They divorced in 1985.
Among his friends were the naturalist Vincent Serventy, zoologist Jock Marshall
Alan John "Jock" Marshall (17 February 1911 – 20 July 1967) was an Australian writer, academic and ornithologist.
Marshall was born in Redfern, New South Wales. Despite having lost an arm in a shooting accident at the age of sixteen, he w ...
, photographer Jeff Carter
Jeffrey J. Carter (born January 1, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Los Angeles Kings ...
and artist Russell Drysdale.
Recognition
*A 1964 sketch portrait of Worrell, ''"The Snake Man"'' by Russell Drysdale, is held by the National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...
*In 1970 Worrell received an MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
in recognition of his lifesaving role in the development of snake anti-venoms.Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet It's an Honour
Official website In the same year the ARP began supplying funnel-web spider venom to the CSL in the process of developing an anti-venom.
*He and Robyn received the National Australia Bank's humanitarian award for their contribution to the development of an antivenene for the Sydney funnel-web spider
The Sydney funnel-web spider (''Atrax robustus'') is a species of venomous mygalomorph spider native to eastern Australia, usually found within a radius of Sydney. It is a member of a group of spiders known as Australian funnel-web spiders. I ...
in 1981.
*'' Snake Bitten'', a book about Worrell, was published in 2010.
Bibliography
Apart from numerous scientific papers and popular natural history articles in Walkabout, Wildlife, Australian Outdoors, Pix and People Magazine, books authored, coauthored or contributed to by Worrell include:[
* 1952 – ''Dangerous Snakes of Australia '' (Angus and Robertson). (2nd edition 1953; 3rd edition, 1957. (Some or all of these editions are undated but Worrell states that the 1st edition was published in 1952 in the first printing of ''Dangerous Snakes of Australia and New Guinea''; see next entry)).
* 1961 – ''Dangerous Snakes of Australia and New Guinea''. (Angus and Robertson). (Described by Worrell as the 4th edition; 5th edition,1963, reprinted 1966; 6th edition, 1969).
* 1958 – ''Song of the Snake''. (Angus and Robertson)
* 1962 – ''Australian Reptile Park (A.R.P.)''. (Angus and Robertson)
* 1964 – ''Reptiles of Australia''. (Angus and Robertson)
* 1966 – ''Australian Wildlife''. (Angus and Robertson)
* 1966 – ''Australian Snakes, Crocodiles and Tortoises''. (Angus and Robertson)
* 1966 – ''The Great Barrier Reef''. (Angus and Robertson)
* 1966 – ''The Great Extermination''. (part author) – (Heinemenn) by Alan Moorhead
* 1967 – ''Trees of the Australian Bush''. (co-author with Lois Sourry) (Angus and Robertson)
* 1968 – ''Making Friends with Animals''. (Angus and Robertson)
* 1970 – ''Australian Birds and Animals''. (Angus and Robertson)
* 1977 – ''Things that Sting''. (Angus and Robertson)
]
References
External links
Australian Reptile Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worrell, Eric
1924 births
1987 deaths
Australian herpetologists
Australian nature writers
20th-century Australian zoologists
People educated at Sydney Boys High School