Morrison, Philip Crosbie (1900 - 1958)

Summary

Crosbie Morrison became Australia's best known naturalist during the 1940s and 1950s. He was the editor of Wild Life from 1938-1954 and broadcast regular weekly nature talks from 1938 until his death.

Details

Philip Morrison was educated at The University of Melbourne attaining a Masters of Science (MSc) in 1926. He went on to communicate science and participate in scientific expeditions and studies. As a Science communicator Philip Morrison edited the periodical Wild Life, was a special writer for the Melbourne News Paper The Argus and wrote the book Melbourne's Garden first published in 1946. In addition of his written contributions Morrison also produced weekly nature talks broadcast throughout Australia and New Zealand and presented lecturers on natural history at The University of Melbourne Extension Board (later known as the Council of Adult Education).

His scientific expeditions and studies included the Great Barrier Reef Committee's 1925 work, the first Mackay aerial survey of central Australia in 1930 and a later trip across the Nullarbor with Sir Russell Grimwade.

Philip Morrison was also active in numerous scientific societies and has served as the President of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (1941-1943), The Royal Society of Victoria (1949-1950), the Victorian branch of the British Astronomical Association (1951-53) and the Victorian National Parks Association in 1952.

Chronology

1921 - 1924

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne

1924 - 1926

Education - Masters of Science (M. Sc.), University of Melbourne

1930

Career event - Participated in aerial survey of Central Australia supervised by Donald Mackay

1938 -

Career position - Producer of Nature Talks broadcast through Australia and New Zealand

1938 - 1954

Career position - Editor, Wild Life

1939 - 1950

Career position - Lecturer, Natural History, University of Melbourne Extension Board (later Council of Adult Education), Australia

1941 - 1943

Career Position - President, Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, Australia

1947

Award - Australian Natural History Medallion, Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, Australia

1949 - 1950

Career Position - President, Royal Society of Victoria, Australia

1951 - 1953

Career Position - Foundation President, Victoria Branch, British Astronomical Association

1952

Career Position - Foundation President, Victorian National Parks Association, Australia

Related entries

Archival resources

Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, University of Melbourne

• Audio tape of interview with P. G. Morrison, P000657; Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, University of Melbourne. Details

State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection

• Philip Crosbie Morrison - Records, 1924 - 1960; State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• Australasian Science, A Bright Sparcs Exhibition, Australian Science Archives Project, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/journal/journal.htm. Details

Books

• Brash, Stuart; Conde Anne-Marie; Robin, Libby; McCarthy, Gavan; Sherratt, Tim, A Guide to the Records of Philip Crosbie Morrison (Melbourne: Australian Science Archives Project, 1993), 178 pp. Details
• Garden, Don, Conservation journeys: a short history of the VNPA (Carlton, Vic.: Victorian National Parks Association, 2012?), 70 pp. https://vnpa.org.au/publications/conservation-journeys-a-short-history-of-the-vnpa/. Details
• Pizzey, Graham, Crosbie Morrison: Voice of Nature (Melbourne: Victoria Press, 1992), 303 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Pizzey, Graham, 'Morrison, Philip Crosbie (1900-1958), Naturalist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 15: 1940 - 1980 Kem-Pie, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2000), pp. 418-420. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150488b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Balmford, Peter, 'Newspapers as a Source of Information about Natural History', The Victorian naturalist, 102 (1) (1985), 20-27. Details
• Bartels, Ditta, 'Speech by Ditta Bartels at launch of the Guide to the Records of Philip Crosbie Morrison', History of Australian Science Newsletter, 32 (1994). http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/hasn/no32/feats32.html#morrison. Details
• Garnet, J. R., 'A Tribute to Crosbie Morrison', The Victorian naturalist, 75 (1958), 21-24. Details
• Morrison, C., 'Obituary Mr C. C. Brittlebank', Wild life, 7 (1945), 378. Details
• Robin, Libby, 'Visions of Nature: Wild Life, 1938-1954', The Victorian naturalist, 102 (5) (1985), 153-61. Details
• Robin, Libby, 'The Professor and the journalist: Crosbie Morrison and John Turner, scientists in popular conservation campaigns', Victorian Historical Journal, 65 (1994), 154-68. Details
• Sherratt, Tim; Condé, Anne-Marie, 'Communicating with Wild Life', Australasian Science, Summer (1992). http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/journal/as_morri.htm. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3378991. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/1722969. Details
• Brash, Stuart; Condé, Anne-Marie; Robin, Libby; McCarthy, Gavan; Sherratt, Tim, Philip Crosbie Morrison Guide to Records, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 2004, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/guides/morr/morrison.htm. Details
• 'Morrison, Crosbie (1900-1958)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-516460. Details

See also

• Federation and Meteorology, 2001, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/fam/index_m.html. Details
• Science and the making of Victoria, with Royal Society of Victoria, 2001, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/smv/index_m.html. Details
• Bowler, Jim, 'Unlikely encounters: Geology and archaeology' in Dhoombak goobgoowana: a history of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne - Volume 1: The Truth, Ross L. Jones, James Waghorne and Marcia Langton, eds (Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 2024), pp. 107-124, https://www.mup.com.au/books/dhoombak-goobgoowana-paperback-softback. Details
• McGregor, Russell, Idling in green places: a life of Alec Chisholm (North Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2019), 285 pp. Details