William Henry "Harry" Butler CBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 25 March 1930) is an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n
naturalistNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and environmental consultant. He is a populariser of science and natural history for both child and adult audiences and, as conservation consultant to the Barrow Island oilfield and many other projects, has played a major role in environmental conservation and restoration in Australia. He presented the popular
Australian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
television series
In the WildIn The Wild is a popular nature television series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1976 until 1981. It is hosted by Harry Butler, a noted Australian naturalist and environmental consultant. The show is a direct predecessor to the Steve Irwin/Crocodile Hunter hands-on style...
. He also authored the books
In The Wild,
In the Wild (Part II) and
Looking at the Wild.
William Henry "Harry" Butler CBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 25 March 1930) is an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n
naturalistNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and environmental consultant. He is a populariser of science and natural history for both child and adult audiences and, as conservation consultant to the Barrow Island oilfield and many other projects, has played a major role in environmental conservation and restoration in Australia. He presented the popular
Australian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
television series
In the WildIn The Wild is a popular nature television series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1976 until 1981. It is hosted by Harry Butler, a noted Australian naturalist and environmental consultant. The show is a direct predecessor to the Steve Irwin/Crocodile Hunter hands-on style...
. He also authored the books
In The Wild,
In the Wild (Part II) and
Looking at the Wild.
Butler was born on 25 March 1930 in
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
,
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. He attended Claremont Teachers' College in Western Australia and later the Western State College in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1968, he participated in the fifth of the
Harold Hall Australian ornithological collecting expeditionsThe Harold Hall Australian Expeditions comprise a series of five main ornithological collecting expeditions carried out in the 1960s and covering much of the Australian continent.-Organisation:...
. He has lectured, and been honoured, at museums in Western Australia, Canada, and the United States. Butler is a supporter of development projects such as mining, working with corporations and state governments as an environmental consultant. He co-wrote the
UKThe UK Music Charts are a collection of charts that reflect the music buying habits of people within the United Kingdom. The majority of them are produced by The Official Charts Company.-The charts:...
Top Ten music hit "
Sun Arise"Sun Arise" is the fourth single released by the Australian singer-songwriter Rolf Harris. Released on 25 October 1962, it was Harris' second charting hit, coming two years after his self-penned chart-topper "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport"...
" with fellow western Australian
Rolf HarrisRolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
.
Honours
In 1970, Butler was appointed an Officer of the
Order of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. In 1980 this was upgraded to Commander level (CBE).
In 1979, Butler was named the
Australian of the YearSince 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
, jointly with
Neville BonnerNeville Thomas Bonner AO was an Australian politician, and the first indigenous Australian to become a member of the Parliament of Australia...
.
In 1993, he was awarded a cash prize for his 30 years of work with the petroleum industry.
A species of Mulga snake,
Pseudechis butleriPseudechis butleri, the spotted Mulga snake, is a species of elapid snake found in Western Australia. It is a member of the Pseudechis genus, dangerously venomous snakes that can intimidate an opponent by raising their head and presenting a hood. This cobra-like threat display is supported by the...
, and a spider
Synothele butleri are named for Butler.
Harry and Barry Moore CPA have been best of friends for many years.
External links