Pockley, Robert Peter Campbell (Peter) (1935 - 2013)

Summary

Peter Pockley was a science writer, reporter, broadcaster and commentator who pioneered and established specialist reporting of science in the Australian media in 1964, founding the ABC Science Unit. He led teams and fronted regular radio and television programs that transformed science reporting, particularly through Insight, Ockham's Razor and The World Tomorrow, and other programs on the ABC and SBS.

An independent reporter and commentator, he was the Science and Education Columnist for the Sun-Herald and regularly contributed to many other newspapers and journals across Australia including Australasian Science, and overseas including Nature and Physics World.

Pockley hosted ABC's radio coverage of all of NASA's Apollo missions. He later became head of public affairs at the University of New South Wales, and ran science-journalism courses at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Over the years, he interviewed many eminent scientists and people who have significantly contributed to science in Australia, creating a major collection of oral histories at the National Library of Australia, and in the National Archives of Australia.

In 2010 his significant achievements were recognised when he received the Academy Medal, awarded by the Australian Academy of Science and given to a person who is not a fellow of the academy but has "significantly advanced the cause of science and technology in Australia".

Details

Chronology

1956

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

c. 1957

Education - Diploma of Education (DipEd), University of Melbourne

1958

Award - Shell scholarship, to study at Balliol College, University of Oxford

1958

Career position - Science Master, Melbourne Grammar School

1961

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in geology, Balliol College, University of Oxford

1961 - 1964

Career position - Science Master, Wellington College, UK

1964

Life event - Returned to Australia, to head up the ABC Science Unit

1964 - 1968

Career position - Tutor at St Pauls College, University of Sydney

1964 - 1973

Career position - First Director of the Science Unit, ABC

1973 - 1989

Career position - Adviser to Public Affairs and Head of the Public Affairs Unit, University of New South Wales

1974 - 1976

Career position - Founding Convenor, Public Broadcasting Association of Australia

1989 -

Career position - Science and Education Columnist with The Sun-Herald

1989 -

Career position - Director of Peter Pockley Communications Pty Ltd

1989

Career position - Executive Planner, Australian Academy of Science

2010

Award - Academy Medal, Australian Academy of Science

Related entries

Published resources

Conference Papers

• Pockley, Peter, 'A national program for promoting public understanding of science', in 53rd ANZAAS Congress, Perth, 18 May 1983 (ANZAAS, 1983), p. 36.. Details
• Pockley, Peter, 'Generating a true voice for Australian science', in ANZAAS Congress, Monash University, Symposium on "Science to the people - the care for scientific awareness" 26 August 1985 (ANZAAS, 1985), p. 10.. Details
• Pockley, Peter, 'Promoting public understanding of science and technology : progress, problems and proposals', in 56th ANZAAS Congress, New Zealand, 26 January 1987 (ANZAAS, 1987), p. 31.. Details

Journal Articles

• Pockley, Peter, 'The Great White Oliphant', Australasian Science, 21 (9) (2000), 37-38. Details

Newspaper Articles

• Williams, Robyn, 'Peter Pockley: Champion for science in a wakening world', Sydney Morning Herald (2013), https://www.smh.com.au/national/peter-pockley-champion-for-science-in-a-wakening-world-20130927-2ujjr.html. Details

Resources

• Academy Medal, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, 2022. https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/awards-and-opportunities/academy-medal-0. Details
• 'Pockley, Peter', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-593663. Details