David G. Corke | |
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Born | |
Nationality | Australian |
Employer(s) | University of Melbourne CSIRO Educational Media Australia |
Known for | Documentary films, wildlife films, educational resources |
Children | Fiona Corke, Peter Corke, Richard Corke |
Awards | Australian Film Institute awards, ANZAAS Orbit Award, Creative Excellence Awards US |
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]
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]