P002493 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1997-06-30 human Rosanne Walker; Ken McInnes updated 2026-05-19 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P002493b.htm person Pockley Robert Peter Campbell AACR2 20 May 1935 11 August 2013 Place of Birth Mosman, New South Wales, Australia Place of Death Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Science writer 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". 1956 1956 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) in chemistry, University of Melbourne c. 1957 c. 1957 Education - Diploma of Education (DipEd), University of Melbourne 1958 1958 Award - Shell scholarship, to study at Balliol College, University of Oxford 1958 1958 Career position - Science Master, Melbourne Grammar School 1961 1961 Education - Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in geology, Balliol College, University of Oxford 1961 1964 Career position - Science Master, Wellington College, UK 1964 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 1989 Career position - Executive Planner, Australian Academy of Science 2010 2010 Award - Academy Medal, Australian Academy of Science Williams, Robyn (1944 - )

Peter Pockley and Robyn Williams were colleagues in the ABC Science Unit

 Academy Medal, Australian Academy of Science (1990 - )

Awarded the Medal 2010

 Australian Academy of Science (1954 - )

Executive Planner 1989

 Pockley, Peter

Trove

 'Pockley, Robert Peter Campbell (Peter)', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Pockley, Robert Peter Campbell (Peter) Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Conference Paper: A national program for promoting public understanding of science Pockley, Peter A national program for promoting public understanding of science ANZAAS 1983 53rd ANZAAS Congress, Perth, 18 May 1983 36 Conference Paper: Promoting public understanding of science and technology : progress, problems and proposals Pockley, Peter Promoting public understanding of science and technology : progress, problems and proposals ANZAAS 1987 56th ANZAAS Congress, New Zealand, 26 January 1987 31 Conference Paper: Generating a true voice for Australian science Pockley, Peter Generating a true voice for Australian science ANZAAS 1985 ANZAAS Congress, Monash University, Symposium on "Science to the people - the care for scientific awareness" 26 August 1985 10 Journal Article: The Great White Oliphant Pockley, Peter The Great White Oliphant 2000 Australasian Science 21 9 37-38 Newspaper Article: Peter Pockley: Champion for science in a wakening world Williams, Robyn Peter Pockley: Champion for science in a wakening world 2013 Sydney Morning Herald Resource: Academy Medal Australian Academy of Science Academy Medal Canberra Australian Academy of Science 2022