Former ABC newsreader Richard Morecroft dies aged 70

Richard Morecroft, who presented the ABC’s NSW evening news for almost two decades, has died aged 70 after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

His death was announced on Tuesday evening. A spokesperson said he died peacefully on the NSW south coast, with his partner of 36 years, Alison Mackay, beside him.

Morecroft presented the state’s 7pm bulletin from 1983 until 2002. His television career also included the ABC’s children’s current affairs program Behind the News and SBS quiz show Letters and Numbers. 

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

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Almost two decades at the news desk

Born in England in 1956, Morecroft moved to Adelaide as a child. He studied English and drama at the University of Adelaide, where campus radio gave him his start in broadcasting.

He joined the ABC and presented its Adelaide television news before moving to Sydney in 1983 to succeed James Dibble. He remained at the NSW news desk for 19 years. www.theaustralian.com.au

Alongside the nightly bulletin and Behind the News, Morecroft co-hosted The National and led election-night broadcasts, the ABC said.

After leaving the news desk, he returned to television as the host of Letters and Numbers, presenting the SBS program from 2010 to 2012. en.wikipedia.org

‘A true gentleman’

ABC managing director Hugh Marks paid tribute to Morecroft’s contribution to the broadcaster.

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

“His intelligence, warmth and professionalism beamed into homes across Australia for almost two decades, making him a trusted presence in the lives of Australians and an enduring part of the ABC's history.

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends and former colleagues.”

Leigh Sales remembered a colleague whose kindness extended to new arrivals in the newsroom, and occasionally to wildlife at the news desk.

“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 in the ABC statement.

“His kind nature revealed itself in many ways -- from the baby possum he nurtured inside his suit jacket for a period while reading the news, to the way he would seek out newly arrived junior staff to welcome them to the team. He was universally admired and respected.”

Former ABC News Breakfast presenter Michael Rowland also recalled Morecroft as a role model, describing him as “the newsreader’s newsreader”. 

A life beyond broadcasting

Conservation was a substantial part of Morecroft’s life. He held roles with WWF Australia, WIRES, the Taronga Foundation and the Zoological Parks Board of NSW.

He also worked as an author and photographer, collaborating on projects with Mackay.