Warwick Deacock
Warwick Deacock (1926 - 2017) was a Soldier, Mountaineer and Adventurer.
Early Life
Born in London, he joined the Royal Marines in 1943 and gained Commando Green Beret.[1] Deacock left the Marines in 1947 and went on to do odd jobs to pay for sailing and climbing. In 1956 he joined the SAS and served in Northern Malaya and Oman.[2] He later resigned after realising the forces he fought in Oman were trained by the CIA.[1]
In 1959 Warwick Deacock migrated to Australia with his wife and daughter.
Ascent of Big Ben
In 1963 Deacock went to Heard Island as a member of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions. [3] During the expedition, there was an attempt on climbing Big Ben to investigate glaciology, geology and volcanology of the unexplored area. But due to a prolonged blizzard and a lost food depot, the attempt was abandoned. One of the three members (Grahame Budd) had frostbitten hands but all survived. The three had lost their tent, sleeping bags and other equipment. [4]
Back in Australia, Deacock drove around Australia with his family working odd jobs. He decided to have another attempt at climbing Big Ben and in 1964 started fundraising for the attempt. In 8 months he raised nearly £86,000. [1] Using this Deacock and 4 others went back to Heard Island and in January 1965, were the first to summit Big Ben.
Awards
- Royal Geographic Society J.P. Thompson Medal for Exploration in 1992
- Australian Geographic Society Adventurer of the Year Gold Medal in 1993
- Order of Australia for services to conservation and the environment in 1997
References
- ^ a b c Murphy, Damien (2017-06-28). "Warwick Deacock, pioneer adventurer who established Duke of Edinburgh's Award in Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ Van, Eddie. "Think that you have had a 'Full Life'?" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-09-30.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Australian Antarctic Magazine Issue 21 (2011)" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Budd, Grahame (2015-04-23). "Heard Island: The unchanging magnificence - Australian Geographic". Australian Geographic. Retrieved 2018-10-02.