Paul Lockyer
Encyclopedia
Paul James Lockyer was an Australian television journalist for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
and the Nine Network
who was known for his reporting on rural and regional Australia. Lockyer and two colleagues died in a helicopter accident while on assignment filming a story about Lake Eyre
, South Australia
.
, about 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) east of Perth
, Western Australia
. He later boarded at Aquinas College
in Perth where he played hockey.
with the Perth office of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), before moving to Sydney and then Canberra
in the mid-1970s. In 1979 Lockyer became an ABC correspondent
in Port Moresby
and then Jakarta
before a three year posting in Bangkok
. It was during this period that he reported on events following the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge killing fields. He was posted to Washington, D.C.
where as ABC correspondent during the Reagan administration he covered Central and North America. Lockyer later returned to Asia, taking up a posting in ABC's Singapore
office and reporting on the trial and subsequent execution of Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers
on drug trafficking charges. Lockyer was nominated for a Gold Walkley
award for his coverage of the trial and execution.
In 1988 he joined the Nine Network in Sydney. Lockyer's reporting on a drought in eastern Australia in 1994 for A Current Affair was credited for inspiring the Farmhand Appeal. He worked across a range of programs for the network including Sunday, Midday, and the Wide World of Sports.
After returning to the ABC in 1999, Lockyer won a Logie Award
for Most Outstanding News Reporter in 2001 for his daily coverage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He later led ABC TV News coverage of the 2004 Athens Olympics and reported on the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the 7.30 Report. In 2005, Lockyer was the presenter for the ABC television news
in Western Australia.
However, it was his coverage of rural stories that he was most passionate about. Lockyer's was the first news team to report from Grantham
in the Lockyer Valley
in the aftermath of the 2011 Queensland floods; for the first 24 hours he was the only reporter on the ground in Grantham. Lockyer also provided in depth coverage of the impact of Cyclone Yasi
. Lockyer was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003 for his coverage of rural issues, particularly the extensive drought and he was twice awarded the NSW Farmers' Association Mackellar Media prize for coverage of rural issues. Lockyer reported the 2006 rescue of two miners from Tasmania's Beaconsfield gold mine
.
Lockyer's final story was an interview with Bob Lasseter, who is searching for Lasseter's Reef
. Bob Lasseter is the son of Harold Lasseter
, the man who claimed to have originally found the gold deposit. The story was broadcast on 7.30
, on 29 August 2011.
in South Australia
. The trio were on assignment filming a story about the lake. The aircraft was an Aérospatiale Industries AS355F2
helicopter owned by the ABC. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau
is conducting an investigation into the fatal accident. A preliminary report released in mid September 2011 did not include the cause of the crash. The accident was the first fatal accident involving a twin-engine helicopter in Australia since 1986.
Addressing Parliament, Prime Minister Julia Gillard
spoke of Lockyer's coverage of important events, his famous inland reports, and his reporting of the 2011 Queensland floods. She spoke of the dangers journalists were exposed to, saying "[They] took these risks and told these stories. They were true professionals and true gentlemen of the Australian media."
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
who was known for his reporting on rural and regional Australia. Lockyer and two colleagues died in a helicopter accident while on assignment filming a story about Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
Early years and background
Lockyer was the younger of two sons of Nona and Norman Lockyer. He was born and grew up on a farm near CorriginCorrigin, Western Australia
Corrigin is a town located in the central Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, east-southeast of the state capital, Perth, Western Australia, along State Route 40...
, about 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) east of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth 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 Australia
Western Australia
Western 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 later boarded at Aquinas College
Aquinas College, Perth
Aquinas College is a Catholic independent, day and boarding school for boys, located in Salter Point, Western Australia. Its sister school is Santa Maria Ladies College located in Attadale...
in Perth where he played hockey.
Career
In 1969 at age 19, Lockyer became a cadet journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
with the Perth office of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), before moving to Sydney and then Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in the mid-1970s. In 1979 Lockyer became an ABC correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
in Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
and then Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
before a three year posting in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. It was during this period that he reported on events following the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge killing fields. He was posted to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where as ABC correspondent during the Reagan administration he covered Central and North America. Lockyer later returned to Asia, taking up a posting in ABC's Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
office and reporting on the trial and subsequent execution of Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers
Barlow and Chambers execution
The Barlow and Chambers execution refers to the hanging in 1986 by Malaysia of two Australian citizens, Kevin John Barlow and Brian Geoffrey Chambers of Perth, Western Australia, for the drug trafficking of 141.9 g of heroin....
on drug trafficking charges. Lockyer was nominated for a Gold Walkley
Gold Walkley
The Gold Walkley is the most prestigious of the Walkley Awards for Australian journalism. It is chosen by the Walkley Advisory Board from the winners of all the other categories...
award for his coverage of the trial and execution.
In 1988 he joined the Nine Network in Sydney. Lockyer's reporting on a drought in eastern Australia in 1994 for A Current Affair was credited for inspiring the Farmhand Appeal. He worked across a range of programs for the network including Sunday, Midday, and the Wide World of Sports.
After returning to the ABC in 1999, Lockyer won a Logie Award
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
for Most Outstanding News Reporter in 2001 for his daily coverage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He later led ABC TV News coverage of the 2004 Athens Olympics and reported on the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the 7.30 Report. In 2005, Lockyer was the presenter for the ABC television news
ABC News (Australia)
ABC News is a national news service produced by the News and Current Affairs division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation - the division is responsible for all newsgathering and production of news output for ABC television, radio and online services...
in Western Australia.
However, it was his coverage of rural stories that he was most passionate about. Lockyer's was the first news team to report from Grantham
Grantham, Queensland
Grantham is a town in the Lockyer Valley region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Grantham had a population of 370.-History:...
in the Lockyer Valley
Lockyer Valley, Queensland
The Lockyer Valley is an area of rich farmlands that lies to the west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and east of Toowoomba. The Lockyer Valley is rated among the top ten most fertile farming areas in the world...
in the aftermath of the 2011 Queensland floods; for the first 24 hours he was the only reporter on the ground in Grantham. Lockyer also provided in depth coverage of the impact of Cyclone Yasi
Cyclone Yasi
Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in northern Queensland, Australia in the early hours of Thursday, 3 February 2011. Yasi originated from a tropical low near Fiji. The system intensified to a Category 3 cyclone at about 5pm AEST on 31 January 2011...
. Lockyer was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003 for his coverage of rural issues, particularly the extensive drought and he was twice awarded the NSW Farmers' Association Mackellar Media prize for coverage of rural issues. Lockyer reported the 2006 rescue of two miners from Tasmania's Beaconsfield gold mine
Beaconsfield mine collapse
The Beaconsfield Mine collapse occurred on 25 April 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia. Of the 17 people who were in the mine at the time, 14 escaped immediately following the collapse, one was killed and the remaining two were found alive using a remote-controlled device...
.
Lockyer's final story was an interview with Bob Lasseter, who is searching for Lasseter's Reef
Lasseter's Reef
Lasseter's Reef refers to the purported discovery, in 1897, of a fabulously rich gold deposit in a remote and desolate corner of central Australia...
. Bob Lasseter is the son of Harold Lasseter
Lewis Hubert (Harold Bell) Lasseter
Lewis Hubert Lasseter, or Lewis Harold Bell Lasseter as he later referred to himself, was born on 27 September 1880 at Bamganie, Victoria, Australia. Though self-educated, he was literate and well-spoken, but commonly described as eccentric and opinionated...
, the man who claimed to have originally found the gold deposit. The story was broadcast on 7.30
7.30
7.30 is an Australian nightly television current affairs programme ABC1 and ABC News 24 at , Monday to Friday. A national edition screens from Monday to Thursday, produced at the ABN studios in Ultimo, Sydney and presented by Leigh Sales and Chris Uhlmann. A local edition with a focus on state...
, on 29 August 2011.
Death
On 18 August 2011, Lockyer and fellow ABC employees, pilot Gary Ticehurst and cameraman John Bean, died in a helicopter crash on the eastern shore of Lake EyreLake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The trio were on assignment filming a story about the lake. The aircraft was an Aérospatiale Industries AS355F2
Eurocopter AS355
The Eurocopter AS355 Ecureuil 2 is a twin-engine light helicopter originally manufactured by Aérospatiale...
helicopter owned by the ABC. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau
Australian Transport Safety Bureau
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is Australia’s national transport safety investigator. The ATSB is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia. It covers air, sea and rail travel. The Australian Transport Safety...
is conducting an investigation into the fatal accident. A preliminary report released in mid September 2011 did not include the cause of the crash. The accident was the first fatal accident involving a twin-engine helicopter in Australia since 1986.
Addressing Parliament, Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
spoke of Lockyer's coverage of important events, his famous inland reports, and his reporting of the 2011 Queensland floods. She spoke of the dangers journalists were exposed to, saying "[They] took these risks and told these stories. They were true professionals and true gentlemen of the Australian media."