Phillip Law


Phillip Garth Law, AC, CBE, FAA, FTSE was an Australian scientist and explorer who served as director of Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions from 1949 to 1966.

Early life

Law was born in Tallangatta, Victoria, the second of six children of Arthur and Lily Law. One of his younger sisters was the traveller and writer Wendy Law Suart. After attending Hamilton High School, he taught in secondary schools, including Melbourne High School where he taught physics and boxing, while studying part-time at the University of Melbourne, earning an MSc in 1941. He was the Melbourne University lightweight boxing champion and also lectured in physics there from 1943 to 1948.
During the Second World War he enlisted in the RAAF, though the university physics department, which was involved in weapons research, insisted that he continue his work there. He did however manage to visit the battle areas of New Guinea on a four-month scientific mission for the Australian Army.

Antarctic exploration

He spent the first of many summers in Antarctica in 1947-8 as a senior research officer on ANARE. He soon became director due to his strong belief in the value of management and educational techniques that ensured that each individual had more than one role. During his directorship, he established bases in Mawson, Davis and Casey, and led expeditions that explored more than of coastline and some of territory.
After retiring from the directorship, he chaired the Australian National Committee on Antarctic Research from 1966 to 1980. He was elected President of the Royal Society of Victoria from 1967 to 1968.
Law's wife, Nel, a secondary school teacher, professional artist and writer, was the first Australian woman to visit Antarctica when she visited Mawson in 1961. Nel died in 1990, aged 75.
He attended the launch of the Fourth International Polar Year on 1 March 2007 in the hall of the Royal Society of Victoria in Melbourne.
Phillip Law died on 28 February 2010, aged 97. His ashes, together with those of his wife Nel, were interred near the Mawson Station on 19 June 2011.

Honours

Phillip Law was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year's Honours of 1961.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1975 and a Companion of the Order in the Australia Day Honours of 1995.
In 1960 he was awarded the Founder's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society, in 1987 the James Cook Medal of the Royal Society of New South Wales, and in 1988, the Australian Geographic's Adventurer of the Year Award. On 1 January 2001, he was also awarded the Centenary Medal.

Publications

Law published several papers on his exploration work in the Royal Geographical Society's Geographical Journal, including:
Books or booklets authored or coauthored by Law include: