Phillip Law

Phillip Garth Law AC, CBE (* April 21, 1912 in Tallangatta, Victoria, Australia, † February 28, 2010 in Melbourne) was an Australian polar explorer in the Antarctic.

Biography

After attending the Hamilton High School, he worked as a teacher of physics and boxing lessons in secondary schools such as Melbourne High School. He also studied at the University of Melbourne, which he finished in 1941 with a Master of Science degree. Subsequently, he worked 1943-1948 as a lecturer in physics at the University of Melbourne.

After the first Australasian Antarctic expedition of Sir Douglas Mawson in the years 1911 to 1914 and the claim is raised in Australia to the Australian Antarctic Territory by the Australian Antarctic Territory Acceptance Act of 1933 Philip Law began in 1947 with its polar research on Antarctica. With this first expedition after the Second World War it came to the restart of the Australian Antarctic research within the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions ( ANARE ).

As director of the Australian Antarctic authority founded in 1948, Australian Antarctic Division (AAD ), he led the 1954 expedition that led to the establishment of the first Australian research stations in Antarctica, which was named after Sir Douglas Mawson Mawson station. In another expedition there were 1957 establishing the Davis Station, the southernmost Australian research station in Antarctica. In 1959, he led the negotiations for the transfer of the previous U.S. Wilkes Station in Australian owned and from the 1964 Casey station in the eastern part of the Antarctica arose. As part of this expedition took place in 1964 and the discovery and naming of the Anare Mountains.

In 1966 he joined Although from his post as director of the AAD back, but remained faithful to the polar research in Antarctica and was 1966-1980 Chairman of the Australian National Committee for Antarctic Research (Australian National Committee on Antarctic Research ), in the years 1967/68 he was also president of the Royal Society of Victoria. Until his 91st year 2003 he undertook a total of 28 expeditions to Antarctica and ultimately created as the founder of three Australian research stations in Antarctica, the foundations of modern programs of Australia on this continent. During his expeditions was also instrumental in the mapping of more than 5,000 kilometers of coastline of Antarctica.

His wife died in 1990, Nel Law was the first Australian woman in Antarctica.

For his services to the Australian Antarctic Research in 1995 he became Companion of the Order of Australia. In addition, he was Commander of the Order of the British Empire.