David Corke

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]

• Raak (1956)[29] about Wedge-tailed eagles[30]
• Edge of The Deep (1959)[31] about the pattern life along the tidelines, winner of Australian Film Award[32]
• Baama (1962)[33] about bird life along the edge of the Murray River
• Sunset Country (1963)[34]
• Bird banding in Australia (1964)[35]
• The computer CSIRAC (1965)[3]
• Window into space (1965)[4] about the Parkes radio-telescope
• Birth of the red kangaroo (1965)[1] about reproduction of the Red kangaroo
• A skeleton in the crop (1969)[7] about the introduced invasive skeleton weed
• In Central Australia with Crosbie Morrison (1970)
• Flight Line One: Controlled Burning from Aircraft(1971) [5] about controlled burning for bushfire prevention
• Eudyptula minor! (1971)[36] about Fairy Penguins.
• Late in a Wilderness (1972)[16] about wildlife at a waterhole near Broken Hill, AFI Jedda award-winning film
• The Waterhole (1973)[37] an edited, educational version of the film Late in a Wilderness;[16]
• Shed Tears for the River (1973)[22] about "the degradation and destruction of the natural environment of the Murray river system in South Australia by human activities"[23]
• The Wetlands Problem (1979)[19]
• Animals of Australia (1979)[38]
• Desert Hopping Mouse (1982)[39] about the spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis) of inland Australia;
• Egg-laying Mammals (1984)[40] about Australian monotremes
• Yirritidja (1986)[21] based on footage taken on the Bindibu expedition.

• Founding president (2005-8) of the Burke and Wills historical society.[28]
• Accredited member[41] of the Australian Cinematographers Society.
• Member (and assistant secretary in 1948/1949) of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (now BirdLife Australia).