Phillip Law

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Dr. Phillip Garth Law AC CBE (born 21 April 1912) is an Australian scientist and explorer who became director of ANARE from 1949 to 1966.

Law was born in Tallangatta, Victoria. After attending Hamilton High School, he taught in secondary schools while studying part time at the University of Melbourne, earning an MSc in 1941. He lectured in physics at Melbourne University from 1943 to 1948.

He spent his first of many summers in Antarctica in 1947 as a senior research officer on the Australian National Antarctic Expedition (ANARE). He soon became director due to his strong belief in the value of management and educational techniques that saw that each individual had more than one identity. During his directorship, he established bases in Mawson, Davis and Casey, and led expeditions that explored more than 3000 miles of coastline and some 800,000 square miles of territory.

After retiring from the directorship, he chaired the Australian National Committee on Antarctic Research from 1966 to 1980.

Law's wife, Nel, a secondary school teacher, professional artist and writer, was the first Australian woman to visit Antarctica. Nel died in 1990.

He recently attended the launch of the Fourth International Polar Year on Thursday the 1st of March (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time) in the hall of the Royal Society of Victoria.