Graham Martin Pizzey AM (4 July 1930 – 12 November 2001) was a noted

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photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

and

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Early life and education

Graham Pizzey was born and grew up in grew up in East Ivanhoe on the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stre ...

. At age seven he was given a copy of John A. Leach's 1926 ''An Australian Bird Book,'' and while attending

Geelong Grammar School , motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"(1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom) , city = Corio, Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , ty ...

as a boarder he used photography to record his observations of the local countryside. After leaving school in 1948 he worked in his family's leather business, while studying part-time and publishing articles and photographs on natural history, the first appearing in 1948 in the ''Wild Life'', whose editor

Crosbie Morrison 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 Univers ...

encouraged Pizzey's talent.

Freelance

In 1957 Pizzey married Sue Taylor, who assisted him on field expeditions and typed his manuscripts for his numerous articles on natural history for newspapers, notably in the Melbourne ''Age'' (1954–64). Encouraged by their reception, in 1960 Pizzey resigned from the family business to become a full-time freelance writer and photographer. The couple settled eventually on the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...

, but traveled widely across the Nullarbor the north-west, east coast, and central Australia, even after their children were born, educating them by correspondence. He wrote also for the ''

Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...

'' (1965–83) newspaper, and magazines, including many published, from 1954 to 1974, in ''Walkabout'', and regular appearances in ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...

'' and later in ''Burke’s Backyard Magazine''. International journals, including ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'', featured his writing and pictures and he wrote and took part in some early

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

television natural history documentaries, including the ''Wildlife Australia'' series (1962-1964) produced with the CSIRO. The series took viewers into unique Australian environments, and explored the native wildlife in these habitats. His popular '' A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia,'' documenting 750 species, commissioned by

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

and researched and written over 15 years, and reprinted 14 times.

Reception

Writing in a 1959, an unnamed ''Canberra Times'' reviewer deemed ''A Time to Look'' "A gripping book for all who are interested in the natural world, especially bird life," styling Pizzey "the well-known young Melbourne naturalist";

"The volume is illustrated beautifully by 37 pages of pictures which give about 140 entrancing views of bird life obtained only through the exercise, by the author, of superlative patience. Pizzey immerses himself in the atmosphere of the natural world and he holds that whether by way of the keeping of bees, the enjoyment of snow on high mountains, fishing thundering rivers, farming or underwater swimming in the rock pools of long stretching ocean beaches, the study of plants, astronomy or physics, or just by the appreciation of birds, life be comes richer by such immersions. This is not a story book but a free and informal commentary on bird life."

A fully revised ''Field Guide'', illustrated in colour by

Frank Knight Frank Hyneman Knight (November 7, 1885 – April 15, 1972) was an American economist who spent most of his career at the University of Chicago, where he became one of the founders of the Chicago School. Nobel laureates Milton Friedman, George S ...

, was a bestseller in 1997. The books and his regular contributions in mass media made him a well-known and trusted authority despite his lack of any formal scientific qualification.

Offices

Pizzey joined the

Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU), now part of BirdLife Australia, was Australia's largest non-government, non-profit, bird conservation organisation. It was founded in 1901 to promote the study and bird conservation, conservati ...

(RAOU) in 1948 (now Birds Australia) and served on its Council 1969-1975 and its Records Appraisal Committee 1976–1979. He was also active in the Peninsula Conservation League, the

Australian Conservation Foundation The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is Australia's national environmental organisation, launched in 1965 in response to a proposal by the World Wide Fund for Nature for a more co-ordinated approach to sustainability. One high-profil ...

, and the Friends of the Museum of Victoria.

Personal life

In 1991 Pizzey and his wife, Sue, moved into semi-retirement onto 40 ha. of bush and heathlands adjoining the Grampians/Gariwerd National Park near

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

, Victoria, where they created

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

and planted local vegetation to restore habitats. Paying guests were provided 'eco-accommodation' there. In mid-2000 he was diagnosed with cancer, but nevertheless published two books, ''Journey of a Lifetime. Selected pieces by Australia's foremost birdwatcher and nature writer'' and ''The Australian Bird-Garden. Creating havens for native birds,'' and continued planning new projects. He died on 12 November 2001, and was survived by Sue and children Caroline, Sarah and Tom.

Honours

In 1977 Pizzey was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to conservation and ornithology, then in 1986 he was awarded the

Australian Natural History Medallion The Australian Natural History Medallion is awarded each year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History. The idea origina ...

. For his writing he twice received the Victorian Government C. J. Dennis Award, in 1981 and 1987. In 2000 he was invested with an honorary doctorate in applied science by

RMIT University RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city ...

for his "substantial contribution to and work on Australia's natural history and its documentation". In 2005 he was posthumously awarded the John Hobbs Medal. A plaque commemorates him as the First Warden in the grounds of Coolart Wetlands and Homestead, in Somers. He was honorary ornithologist to the

Australian Museum The Australian Museum is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest museum in Australia,Design 5, 2016, p.1 and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the ...

, a position he retained until his death.

Book publications

*Pizzey, Graham. (1958). ''A Time to Look''. William Heinemann Ltd: Melbourne. *Pizzey, Graham. (1980). '' A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia''. Collins: Sydney. *Pizzey, Graham. (Compiler). (1983). ''Stories of Australian Birds''. Currey O'Neil Ross: Melbourne. *Pizzey, Graham. (Ed). (1985). ''A Separate Creation. Discovery of Wild Australia by Explorers and Naturalists''. Currey O'Neil Ross: Melbourne. *Pizzey, Graham. (1988). ''A Garden of Birds. Australian birds in Australian gardens''. Viking O'Neil (Penguin Books Australia Ltd): Melbourne. *Pizzey, Graham. (1992). ''Crosbie Morrison, Voice of Nature''. Victoria Press: South Melbourne *Pizzey, Graham. (1997). '' The Graham Pizzey & Frank Knight Field Guide to the Birds of Australia''. Angus & Robertson: Sydney. *Pizzey, Graham. (2000). ''Journey of a Lifetime. Selected pieces by Australia's foremost birdwatcher and nature writer''. Angus & Robertson: Sydney. *Pizzey, Graham. (2000). ''The Australian Bird-Garden. Creating havens for native birds''. Angus & Robertson: Sydney. *Pizzey, Graham, 'Morrison, Philip Crosbie (1900-1958), Naturalist' in ''Australian Dictionary of Biography,'' John Ritchie, ed., vol. 15 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2000), pp. 418–420.

References

1930 births 2001 deaths Australian naturalists Australian gardeners Australian ornithologists Members of the Order of Australia People educated at Geelong Grammar School Ornithological writers 20th-century Australian zoologists 20th-century naturalists {{Australia-ornithologist-stub