Philip Crosbie Morrison (19 December 1900 – 1 March 1958) was an Australian

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, educator, journalist, broadcaster and conservationist.

Early years

Morrison was born in

Hawthorn, Victoria Hawthorn is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, central business district, located within the City of Boroondara Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. ...

. He attended Auburn State School and

University High School University High School may refer to: Australia * University High School, Melbourne, Victoria Canada * University Hill Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia United States Arizona * University High School (Tolleson) * University High Sc ...

. In 1918 he became a teacher at Wesley College. He entered

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

in 1921 where he studied

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

, obtaining a BSc 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 of i ...

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 and media proprietor who was the founder of the Murdoch media empire. He amassed significant media holdings in Australia which after his death were expan ...

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. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

(through 3AR), 3UZ 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. Up until its ...

. 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 "inf ...

, which was also heard Australia-wide through the Major network. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) is the prime supporter of nature conservation in the Australian state of Victoria. ThVNPAis an independent, not-for-profit nature conservation organisation whose vision is for Victoria to be a place w ...

. 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 Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, 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 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 origin ...

by the

Field Naturalists Club of Victoria The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation. The club is the oldest of its kind in Australia and is unique in having existed continuously since its foundation. Since its founding, ...

* 1949-1951 – President of the

Royal Society of Victoria The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is the oldest scientific society in Victoria, Australia. Foundation In 1854 two organisations formed with similar aims and membership, these being the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science (found ...

* 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, ...

The Crosbie Morrison Building and nearby Amphitheatre at the

Australian National Botanic Gardens The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is a heritage-listed botanical garden located in , Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Established in 1949, the Gardens is administered by the Australian Government's Departme ...

, 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 (Melbourne). * 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 Australian naturalists The Argus (Melbourne) people Australian book and manuscript collectors People from Hawthorn, Victoria University of Melbourne alumni