Tuesday, March 24, 2015

CROCODILE MAN : HARRY MESSEL


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 )