Richard Morecroft

Richard Morecroft was one of Australia's most trusted and beloved broadcasters — a man whose calm authority behind the news desk was matched only by the warmth and humanity he carried off it. Born on 20 January 1956, in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, England, he came to Australia at the age of ten when his family relocated to Adelaide, South Australia, seeking a better climate for his brother Andrew's health. It was a move that would shape the course of his life entirely. At the University of Adelaide, where he studied English and Drama, Richard flirted with careers in acting and teaching before the university radio station drew him, almost inevitably, toward broadcasting. He auditioned for the ABC before completing his degree and was hired as a radio announcer. By 1983, he had made his way to Sydney, stepping into the prestigious role of ABC News NSW 7pm bulletin presenter — a position he would hold for nearly two decades, succeeding the legendary James Dibble. For almost twenty years, Richard Morecroft was the face and voice Australians turned to at day's end. He anchored coverage of the release of Lindy Chamberlain in 1986, the APEC conference in 1989, and countless other moments of national weight. His sign-off — "And that's the news to this minute" — became as familiar as a friend's greeting. Behind the scenes, he was equally remarkable: known among colleagues as "the newsreader's newsreader," he never spoke badly of anyone in an industry known for its edge, and made a point of welcoming junior reporters new to the Sydney newsroom with characteristic kindness and generosity. Richard's passions extended far beyond the studio. A devoted conservationist, he famously raised an orphaned flying fox named Archie beneath his news desk — the subject of the 1989 documentary Raising Archie. He served as governor of the Taronga Foundation, director of the Zoological Parks Board of NSW, trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature, and patron of WIRES wildlife rescue organisation. After leaving the ABC in 2002, he and his partner of 36 years, artist Alison Mackay, moved to a bushland property near Jervis Bay. He published his memoir, 20 Years from the Waist Up, that same year, returned to television hosting SBS's Letters and Numbers from 2010 to 2012, and in later years ran the YouTube series Exhibition with Richard Morecroft, celebrating artists and their work. Richard Morecroft died peacefully on 6 October 2026, on the south coast of New South Wales, with Alison beside him. He was 70 years old. He leaves behind a legacy of professional excellence, gentle humanity, and a love for the natural world that touched everyone fortunate enough to know him or simply to watch him bring the day's news home.