Good to hear dynamic , straight talking Emeritus Professor Harry Messel, 93 , interviewed on Radio National about his pioneering crocodile research in the Northern Territory , with additional forthright comments about the Coalition’s proposal to cut back funds for scientific research , the " dumbing down of education" in recent years and the likely end of mankind . Born in Canada, of Lithuainian parents, he was a paratrooper during WWll. A physicist , Messel took mighty steps to promote science among young Australians more than half a century ago through an annual Summer School of Science sponsored by Ampol ; he also wrote a NSW school science textbook , collaborated with unions to spread the message about the importance of science on jobs and well being of society .
When he began
crocodile research 40 years ago he
estimated there were less than
5000 of them left in
Australia after extensive
hunting and shooting . Using his relationship with ALP
Attorney-General Lionel Murphy in the Whitlam Government he had crococodiles declared
a protected species.
I met Messel and his wife in Darwin in the l970s and he
took me on a crocodile survey up
the Adelaide River at night in a
fast boat from his research vessel , which just happened to
be named the Harry M. Messel . A team member at the bow with a spotlight yelled out
sightings on the
banks in the water along
the way , recorded by
another in the crew. Snags and floating
timber was struck
on these trips
and were identified as a “logosaurus”. A special treat was a
meal cooked by Harry
aboard the vessel named after him. He also used a
Cessna plane to track
the movements of crocodiles on which transponders had
been attached .
In the recent radio interview he said he
covered some 100,000 kilometres of
waterways during 17 years of research . This research , he
told me , covered a
large part of North Australia about which the nation
knew very little. Observations
were made about entire river systems , including the vital mangrove species . I
visited Professor Messel at the Sydney University School of
Physics ,where he conducted solar power research and
drew up a report for Saudi Arabia on the future of solar energy .In 1962 he started the International Science School, was chancellor and CEO of Bond University , and has been honoured for his contributions to science and education in Australia .
He was interviewed on the ABC
in relation to a book , Biology and Evolution of Crocodilians , by Gordon Grigg and David Kirshner , CSIRO Publishing , dedicated to his part in early research . While dinosaurs might
survive for aeons , he said he felt
the way humans were
going , they might end in 1000 years .- (Peter Simon )
