Richard Morecroft Remembered for Wit, Generosity, and Journalism Legacy

Tributes are flowing for veteran news anchor Richard Morecroft, who has been remembered as a consummate professional and "a great Australian". The 70-year-old passed away "at a time of his choosing" after receiving a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

A statement released on Instagram 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."

Morecroft had a long and distinguished career in television, anchoring the 7PM NSW news for almost 20 years, presenting Behind the News, and hosting Letters and Numbers on SBS.

A Legacy of Professionalism and Kindness

Geraldine Doogue, who worked with Morecroft as co-host on The National in 1985, described him as a kind and professional colleague. "He was just terribly good to me and to my late husband ... during that really tumultuous year," she said on 702 Sydney Mornings.

"I mean, he was very much for it. Richard, once he was in, he was in. He was a very loyal, he contributed massively."

Doogue said Morecroft had a strong sense of what "an ABC authority ought to be" and modelled it "effortlessly". "He had quite a wit about him, but he fundamentally felt his role, I think, was to be that face of the ABC while he was doing this," she said.

A Passion for Nature and the Arts

Morecroft also hosted wildlife and educational programs and wrote about nature and the environment. He eventually moved to the NSW south coast, which Doogue said he called "his cathedral", with his partner of 36 years, Alison Mackay.

"He had this whole side in him that was artistic, very much involved with the natural world," Doogue said. "He just thrived in that environment and gave enormously to [and was] very generous to all sorts of charities."

Inspiring a New Generation

Australian Story presenter Leigh Sales, who first saw Morecroft on TV while watching Behind the News at school in the 1980s, said he was a kind and supportive colleague. Sales said when she moved from Brisbane to Sydney as a young reporter at 22, he checked in with her to see how she was settling in.

"And at that age, I was like, 'Oh my God, the newsreader's speaking to me'. But that's what he was like," she said. "The other thing that I feel like I learned from him is it doesn't matter if you're the star, you muck in like one of the team and you're not better than anyone else."

A Lasting Legacy

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that Morecroft was a "great Australian". "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.

702 Sydney Mornings host Hamish Macdonald said he grew up watching Morecroft on the news. "I think he's part of why I wanted to go into journalism. Really, he was just such a reliable, friendly, trusted voice," he said.