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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsAustralian naturalist and conservationist Harry Butler died in a Perth hospital on 11 December 2015, aged 85, after battling cancer for about two years, ABC News reported. PerthNow identified the hospital as St John of God in Murdoch and the illness as bone cancer.
Who was Harry Butler?
William Henry “Harry” Butler was born in Perth on 25 March 1930. He trained as a teacher before becoming an environmental consultant in the 1960s, while also building a public profile as a naturalist and wildlife educator.
His work connected several fields: natural-history fieldwork, television and books, and advice to industry and government on development projects. The Western Australian Museum records that he joined its field trips in the 1960s, including a joint project with the American Museum of Natural History.
How did Butler bring Australian wildlife to television audiences?
In the Wild
Butler presented the ABC television series In the Wild from 1976 to 1981. The program helped make Australian natural history familiar to television audiences. The Western Australian Museum describes his wildlife programs as pioneering in their filming of animals in less familiar habitats.
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Books and public recognition
Butler also wrote In The Wild, In the Wild (Part II) and Looking at the Wild. In 1979, he was named Australian of the Year jointly with Neville Bonner.
What was Butler’s approach to conservation and development?
Butler argued that conservation and development did not have to be incompatible. He worked as an environmental consultant on projects including oil and gas development on Barrow Island, believing that engaging with developers could achieve more for the environment than opposing development outright. The Australian of the Year Awards memorial quotes him saying: “I’ve achieved more by working with mining companies and other developers than I ever would have lying down in front of bulldozers.”
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That approach drew criticism. The awards memorial records objections to his consulting work on the Franklin River Dam project and his support for mining in Kakadu National Park. His stated belief in working with developers and the criticism of specific positions are both part of his legacy; neither, by itself, establishes the ecological outcomes of those projects.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does Butler’s legacy continue?
The Western Australian Museum says the Butler Bequest has supported annual fieldwork funding since 1976. The State Library of Western Australia also holds material relating to Butler, including oral histories, photographs, archives, artwork, film, video and publications. Together with his television work and books, these records preserve a career spanning public nature education, field natural history and environmental consulting.
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