Richard Morecroft, one of the most familiar and trusted faces in Australian broadcasting, has died aged 70 after a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
Best known for presenting ABC News NSW for nearly two decades, the English-born Australian broadcaster died on Tuesday on the NSW south coast, according to a statement shared on Instagram.
“Sadly, our beloved Richard died today, at a time of his choosing, on the south coast of NSW,” the statement read.
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“He was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and was grateful to go peacefully, with his partner of 36 years, Alison Mackay, beside him.
Richard Morecroft was best known for presenting ABC News NSW from 1983 until 2002. Instagram Credit: Supplied Source Known
“We 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.”
ABC journalist Leigh Sales was among the first to pay tribute, describing the broadcaster as an “absolutely divine human being”.
“He was pure class in every way,” Ms Sales told the ABC.
“I consider myself a lucky person indeed to have been his friend.
“I remember I started in the Sydney newsroom as a junior reporter … and he went out of his way to welcome me … touch base with me and to make sure that I was going OK.
“He was full of life, he adored nature, he loved art, he loved people, he was just kind and caring, through and through,” she said.
She said she saw Morecroft about a month ago when he was “dealing with bad news in a very stoic way and dignified manner”.
“It’s just a big loss,” she said.
The broadcaster spent part of his later life on the NSW south coast. Instagram Credit: Supplied Source Known
For many Australians, Morecroft was a steady and reassuring presence on television each night, delivering the news with calm authority for almost 20 years.
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.
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.
After presenting the Adelaide News bulletin, Morecroft moved to Sydney and in 1983 took over the ABC News NSW desk from James Dibble.
He remained in the role until 2002, becoming one of the national broadcaster’s best-known and most respected newsreaders.
He later returned to television as host of SBS’s Letters and Numbers, where his warmth and intelligence introduced him to a new generation of viewers.
Morecroft’s family remembered him as a warm, generous and caring man. Credit: News Corp Australia
Morecroft’s 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 New South Wales.
Away from broadcasting, he was also an author and photographer, producing work that ranged from wildlife writing and memoir to children’s books, often in collaboration with his partner Alison Mackay.
ABC managing director Hugh Marks said Morecroft was “one of the great broadcasters of his generation”.
“His 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’s history,” Mr Marks told the ABC.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends and former colleagues.”
