Wikipedia

David Corke

David Corke (born 13 February 1930) is an Australian documentary film maker, naturalist and educational author. He filmed first-encounter between Europeans and the aboriginal Pintupi people, and was the first person to film the birth of a red kangaroo.[1]

David G. Corke
Born (1930-02-13) 13 February 1930 (age 94)
Straits Settlements
NationalityAustralian
Employer(s)University of Melbourne
CSIRO
Educational Media Australia
Known forDocumentary films, wildlife films, educational resources
ChildrenFiona Corke, Peter Corke, Richard Corke
AwardsAustralian Film Institute awards, ANZAAS Orbit Award, Creative Excellence Awards US

Career edit

Corke began making wildlife and natural history films in 1952, alongside colleagues Peter Bruce, Graham Pizzey and Gil Brealey. Films included Raak about Wedge-tailed eagles, Edge of The Deep about the pattern life along the tidelines; Baama about bird life along the edge of the Murray River; and Sunset Country.

From 1959 to 1970 he worked for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Film Unit,[2] making a range of scientific films[3][4][1][5][6][7] that were widely distributed as 16mm film prints to community groups, clubs and schools.

In 1963, Corke was seconded to the University of Melbourne as director/cameraman for an expedition led by Dr. Donald Thomson[8][9] into the Great Sandy Desert to study the Pintupi people living a traditional lifestyle in the area around Lake Mackay.[10] A documentary, People out of time,[11] resulted from the expedition.[12]

In the 1970s Corke made films and other AV resources for Educational Media Australia[13] to support the "Web of Life"[14] national biology program for schools – an initiative of John Stewart Turner and the Australian Academy of Science.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]

Corke has also made several freelance natural history films (including the AFI Jedda award-winning film Late in a Wilderness,[16] Shed Tears for the River,[22][23] and Eudyptula minor![24]) and written several series of books for school history and social studies programs. He has also written about the Burke and Wills expedition including books[25] and journal articles[26] [27] and was the founding president of the Burke and Wills historical society.[28]

Filmography edit

  • Raak (1956)[29] about Wedge-tailed eagles[30]
  • Edge of The Deep (1959)[31] about the pattern life along the tidelines, winner of Australian Film Award[32]
  • Baama (1962)[33] about bird life along the edge of the Murray River
  • Sunset Country (1963)[34]
  • Bird banding in Australia (1964)[35]
  • The computer CSIRAC (1965)[3]
  • Window into space (1965)[4] about the Parkes radio-telescope
  • Birth of the red kangaroo (1965)[1] about reproduction of the Red kangaroo
  • A skeleton in the crop (1969)[7] about the introduced invasive skeleton weed
  • In Central Australia with Crosbie Morrison (1970)
  • Flight Line One: Controlled Burning from Aircraft(1971) [5] about controlled burning for bushfire prevention
  • Eudyptula minor! (1971)[36] about Fairy Penguins.
  • Late in a Wilderness (1972)[16] about wildlife at a waterhole near Broken Hill, AFI Jedda award-winning film
  • The Waterhole (1973)[37] an edited, educational version of the film Late in a Wilderness;[16]
  • Shed Tears for the River (1973)[22] about "the degradation and destruction of the natural environment of the Murray river system in South Australia by human activities"[23]
  • The Wetlands Problem (1979)[19]
  • Animals of Australia (1979)[38]
  • Desert Hopping Mouse (1982)[39] about the spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis) of inland Australia;
  • Egg-laying Mammals (1984)[40] about Australian monotremes
  • Yirritidja (1986)[21] based on footage taken on the Bindibu expedition.

Memberships edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Birth of the red kangaroo (1965)". CSIRO. Retrieved 19 January 2020., Silver Award, Australian Film Festival (1963); Orbit Award, ANZAAS (1966)
  2. ^ Hughes, John (2018). "From cold war to hot planet: Australia's CSIRO film unit". Studies in Documentary Film. 12 (1): 72–96. doi:10.1080/17503280.2017.1420416. S2CID 158840016.
  3. ^ a b "The computer "CSIRAC" (1965)". CSIRO. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Window into space: the Parkes radio telescope (1965)". CSIRO. Retrieved 19 January 2020. Bronze Award, ISFA Padua (1965)
  5. ^ a b "Flight Line One: Controlled Burning from Aircraft (1971)". CSIRO. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Bird banding in Australia (1964)". CSIRO. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  7. ^ a b "A skeleton in the crop (1969)". CSIRO. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  8. ^ The second Bindibu expedition
  9. ^ Thomson, Donald (1975). Bindibu Country. Melbourne: Nelson. pp. 129–154. ISBN 0170050491.
  10. ^ "The Bindibus". The Australian Women's Weekly: 10–13. 22 January 1964. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  11. ^ "1968, English, Sound, Other sound, Video edition: People out of Time British Broadcasting Corporation (Production company)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Donald Fergusson Thomson". University of Melbourne. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Production Survey". Cinema Papers (23): 81–83. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  14. ^ Morgan, David G. (1967). Biological Science: The Web of Life. Australian Academy of Science.
  15. ^ "1973, English, Video edition: The Waterhole". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d "1973, English, Video edition: The Waterhole". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., AFI Jedda award (1973)
  17. ^ "1984, English, Video, Captioned edition: Egg laying mammals : the echidna and platypus [videorecording]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., Chris Plaque, Columbus Film Festival (1985); Merit Award, Wildlife Film Festival, Montana, US (1985); Creative Excellence award, US Film Festival, Illinois (1983)
  18. ^ "1982, English, Video edition: Desert hopping mouse [motion picture] / Educational Media International in conjunction with The Australian Academy of Science. School Biology Project". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., Silver Award, Australian Conservation Foundation (1983)
  19. ^ a b "1900, English, Government publication, Video edition: The wetlands problem [motion picture]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  20. ^ "1979, English, Video edition: Animals of Australia [videorecording] / editing and script by David Corke; production by Ken Widdowson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020.Creative Excellence Award, US Film Festival (1979); Award of Merit, Information Film Producers, USA (1979); Award of Merit, US Industrial Film Festival (1979)
  21. ^ a b "Yirrititja [videorecording] : the way of the desert people". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  22. ^ a b "1973, English, Government publication, Video edition: Shed tears for the river [motion picture]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., sponsored by South Australian Film Corporation
  23. ^ a b "Shed Tears for the River - Review". Ozmovies. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  24. ^ "1971, English, Video edition: Eudyptula minor! [motion picture]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., sponsored by Comalco
  25. ^ Partners in Disaster, the story of Burke and Wills. Thomas Nelson Australia. 1985. ISBN 978-0-17-006496-5.
  26. ^ Corke, David (2016). "Brahe's Cache" (PDF). Victorian Historical Journal. 87/1 (285): 58–75. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  27. ^ Corke, David (June 1994). "Where did they Bury Charlie Gray?". Victorian Historical Journal. 65/1 (24): 45–56.
  28. ^ a b "Burke and Wills Historical Society".
  29. ^ "1956, English, Government publication, Video edition: Raak [motion picture]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., British International Amateur Film Festival, top amateur film prize (1957)
  30. ^ Corke, David (1956). "Photographing the wedge-tailed eagle". Walkabout. 22 (5): 15–18. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  31. ^ "1959, English, Video edition: Edge of the deep, Boolari Films (Production company); Peter Bruce (Co-director); David Corke (Co-director)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  32. ^ "Past Awards". AFI, AACTA. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  33. ^ "1962, English, Video edition: Baama: land of the red gums, Boolari Films (Production company); State Film Centre of Victoria (Production company)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., Commendation Australian Film Institute (1961)
  34. ^ "1963, English, Video edition: Sunset country, State Film Centre of Victoria (Production company); David Corke (Producer/director)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  35. ^ "Bird banding in Australia (1964)". CSIRO. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  36. ^ "1971, English, Video edition: Eudyptula minor! [motion picture]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., sponsored by Comalco
  37. ^ "1973, English, Video edition: The Waterhole". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  38. ^ "1979, English, Video edition: Animals of Australia [videorecording] / editing and script by David Corke; production by Ken Widdowson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020.Creative Excellence Award, US Film Festival (1979); Award of Merit, Information Film Producers, USA (1979); Award of Merit, US Industrial Film Festival (1979)
  39. ^ "1982, English, Video edition: Desert hopping mouse [motion picture] / Educational Media International in conjunction with The Australian Academy of Science. School Biology Project". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., Silver Award, Australian Conservation Foundation (1983)
  40. ^ "1984, English, Video, Captioned edition: Egg laying mammals : the echidna and platypus [videorecording]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2020., Chris Plaque, Columbus Film Festival (1985); Merit Award, Wildlife Film Festival, Montana, US (1985); Creative Excellence award, US Film Festival, Illinois (1983)
  41. ^ "ACS Accredited Member List". Australian Cinematographers Society. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
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