Anthony Albanese has joined scores of people paying tribute following the death of veteran broadcaster Richard Morecroft.<\/p>\n
Morecroft was one of the most familiar and trusted faces in Australian broadcasting and died at the age of 70, having been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Best known for presenting ABC News NSW for nearly two decades, the English-born Australian broadcaster died on Tuesday on the NSW South Coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cSadly, our beloved Richard died today, at a time of his choosing, on the south coast of NSW,\u201d a statement shared on Instagram read.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and was grateful to go peacefully, with his partner of 36 years, Alison Mackay, beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are devastated to lose such a warm, generous and caring human and hope that all those who knew him, if only through their TV screens, will remember him fondly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the sad news broke, tributes have flooded in, including from the Prime Minister.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the face and voice of the news of the ABC, Richard became a beloved part of Australian life,\u201d Mr Albanese wrote on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cCombining a consummate professionalism with an unyielding humanity, Richard was a figure of absolute trust, a warm and familiar presence who guided us through the good times and bad.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loved the arts and was deeply passionate about our national environment. Nothing completed the picture so delightfully as the time we learned that he used to keep a baby flying fox safe and sound beneath his desk while presenting the news.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard was a great Australian and we were lucky to have him as part of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
ABC journalist Leigh Sales was among the first to pay tribute, describing the broadcaster as an \u201cabsolutely divine human being\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was pure class in every way,\u201d Sales told the ABC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI consider myself a lucky person indeed to have been his friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember I started in the Sydney newsroom as a junior reporter \u2026 and he went out of his way to welcome me, touch base with me and to make sure that I was going OK.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was full of life, he adored nature, he loved art, he loved people, he was just kind and caring, through and through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sales said she saw Morecroft about a month ago when he was \u201cdealing with bad news in a very stoic way and dignified manner\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a big loss,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Former ABC Sport presenter Peter Wilkins, who worked alongside Morecroft during his time at the broadcaster, described him as a \u201cgem of a gentleman\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is so sad. A gem of a gentleman, Richard Morecroft. Working on the ABC News alongside Richard in the 80s and more recently linked up through the South Coast arts community,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalented, warm and humorous and a newsreader without peer. Sincere condolences to Alison. Vale Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
For many Australians, Morecroft was a steady and reassuring presence on television each night, delivering the news with calm authority for almost 20 years.<\/p>\n
Born in Market Harborough, England, in 1956, he moved to Adelaide with his family as a child and later studied English and drama at the University of Adelaide. <\/p>\n
He began in campus radio before joining the ABC, where he built his career first behind the microphone and then in front of the camera.<\/p>\n
After presenting the Adelaide News bulletin, Morecroft moved to Sydney and in 1983 took over the ABC News NSW desk from James Dibble. <\/p>\n
He remained in the role until 2002, becoming one of the national broadcaster\u2019s best-known and most respected newsreaders.<\/p>\n
He later returned to television as host of SBS\u2019s Letters and Numbers, where his warmth and intelligence introduced him to a new generation of viewers.<\/p>\n
Morecroft\u2019s career extended far beyond the studio. He was deeply involved in conservation and animal welfare, holding roles with organisations including WWF Australia, WIRES, the Taronga Foundation and the Zoological Parks Board of NSW.<\/p>\n
Away from broadcasting, he was also an author and photographer, producing work that ranged from wildlife writing and memoir to children\u2019s books, often in collaboration with his partner Alison Mackay. <\/p>\n
ABC managing director Hugh Marks said Morecroft was \u201cone of the great broadcasters of his generation\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis intelligence, warmth and professionalism, beamed into homes across Australia for almost two decades, made him a trusted presence in the lives of Australians and an enduring part of the ABC\u2019s history,\u201d Mr Marks told the ABC.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts are with his family, friends and former colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n