Richard Morecroft Remembered as 'a Great Australian' as Tributes Pour In for Former ABC News Anchor, 70

SYDNEY — Richard Morecroft, the veteran ABC newsreader who was a fixture in Australian living rooms for nearly two decades, has died at age 70, prompting tributes from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, former colleagues and viewers who remembered him as a consummate professional and a warm, generous man.

Morecroft died on the South Coast of New South Wales "at a time of his choosing," according to a statement posted on Instagram, after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

"He was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and was grateful to go peacefully, with his partner of 36 years, Alison Mackay, beside him," the statement said.

"We are devastated to lose such a warm, generous and caring human and hope that all those who knew him, if only through their TV screens, will remember him fondly," it added.

'A figure of absolute trust'

Albanese described Morecroft as "a great Australian."

"As the face and the voice of the news of the ABC, Richard became a beloved part of Australian life," the prime minister said.

"Combining a consummate professionalism with an unyielding humanity, Richard was a figure of absolute trust, a warm and familiar presence who guided us through the good times and bad," he said.

"Richard was a great Australian and we were lucky to have him as part of our lives," Albanese added.

Face of the 7 p.m. news

Morecroft presented ABC's 7 p.m. news bulletin in New South Wales from 1983 until 2002, succeeding longtime newsreader James Dibble. For a generation of viewers in Sydney and across the state, his calm delivery became synonymous with the evening news.

In a statement, the ABC remembered him as "a great friend, an admired colleague, and a firm favourite with audiences."

Beyond the nightly bulletin, Morecroft presented the children's current affairs program "Behind the News," co-hosted "The National" and led the broadcaster's election-night coverage.

ABC managing director Hugh Marks paid tribute to his contribution.

"Richard Morecroft was one of the great broadcasters of his generation," Marks said.

Colleagues remember a 'gentleman'

Former ABC colleagues described Morecroft as both a skilled broadcaster and a kind mentor.

Leigh Sales, presenter of the ABC's "Australian Story," said Morecroft went out of his way to welcome her to the Sydney newsroom as a junior reporter.

"To those of us who worked with him in the Sydney ABC TV newsroom of the 1990s, Richard Morecroft was not only a consummate presenter; he was a true gentleman – generous and courteous to a fault," Sales said.

"He was pure class in every way," she said. "I consider myself a lucky person indeed to have been his friend."

Former ABC "News Breakfast" presenter Michael Rowland called Morecroft "the newsreader's newsreader."

"Richard was a superb newsreader and a lovely man," Rowland wrote on social media.

Keith Conlon, a former ABC presenter who met Morecroft at a student radio station in Adelaide in the 1970s, said his fellow broadcaster was always a "lovely, warm person."

"We kind of invented community radio on the run, and Richard was one of those people who came through the door," Conlon said.

Letters and Numbers

Later in his career, Morecroft introduced himself to a new generation of viewers as host of the SBS quiz show "Letters and Numbers," which aired from 2010 to 2012 alongside wordsmith David Astle and mathematician Lily Serna.

Serna, who got her start in television on the program, described Morecroft in an Instagram post as "a rare and wonderful man."

"I was lucky enough to land my first TV gig with Richard and he showed me the ropes with such grace and patience," she wrote.

From England to Adelaide

Morecroft was born in Market Harborough, England, in January 1956 and moved to Adelaide with his family at age 10. He studied English and drama at the University of Adelaide and worked at the university's radio station before joining the ABC as an announcer.

He went on to present nightly television news bulletins in Adelaide and Canberra before moving to Sydney to take over the flagship New South Wales bulletin.

A passion for nature

Conservation was a central part of Morecroft's life. While at the ABC, he worked with the broadcaster's Natural History Unit on "Raising Archie," a documentary about a flying fox he raised and sometimes kept under the news desk while he presented the bulletin.

After leaving the nightly news in 2002, he returned to the ABC to host "Richard Morecroft Goes Wild," a program reflecting his passion for environmental issues. He also served as a governor of the Taronga Foundation, which supports Sydney's Taronga Zoo, and became an acclaimed landscape photographer.

Morecroft and Mackay moved to the Jervis Bay area on the New South Wales South Coast, where he embraced his love of nature, photography and the environment. He once described the change as less about retirement and more about living differently.

A familiar presence

Morecroft became so recognizable that he appeared as himself in several Australian films and television shows during and after his career.

Hundreds of people paid tribute on social media, with many recalling growing up watching him deliver the evening news. A listener on ABC Radio Sydney summed up the mood: "What a great guy he was."

Morecroft is survived by Mackay, his partner of 36 years.