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- Herald Sun, August 6, 2011
Peter Bassett-Smith
BASSETT-SMITH. - Peter. Of "Birrarung" Kangaroo Ground, died peacefully 25.1.1911 - 4.8.2011 Aged 100 years Much loved and cherished husband of Diana, much loved father of Robin, Joe and Elizabeth and father-in-law of Janet and Tony, adored Grandpa to Jeremy, Christina, Richard; Peter, Andrew and Paris. A long and most active full life, greatly missed and always remembered. See later paper for funeral details.
Diamond Valley Leader
Kangaroo Ground’s Peter Bassett-Smith dies aged 100.
KANGAROO Ground stalwart Peter Bassett-Smith has died, aged 100.
A soldier, cine-photographer and volunteer, Mr Bassett-Smith died peacefully on August 4.
Named Nillumbik Citizen of the Year in 2001, he was a lifelong member of the Kangaroo Ground CFA, a founding member of the Eltham Historical Society and involved with the Kangaroo Ground Pony Club.
His wife Diana said her husband would be remembered as a much-loved husband and a wonderful father who had lived a full and active life at their Kangaroo Ground farm.
“He was very proud of the district and he enjoyed all his community work,’’ Mrs Bassett-Smith said.
Nillumbik councillor Ken King paid tribute to Mr Bassett-Smith and his dedication to community work.
“You don’t get a citizen award unless you are really putting back into the community,’’ Cr King said.
On January 25 Mr Bassett Smith celebrated his 100th birthday with 100 family and friends.
Born in Argentina, Mr Bassett-Smith arrived in Australia from England in the 1920s.
He served with the Australian army in Greece and Syria during WWII, but it was his interest in cine-photography and silent movies that became his life-long passion.
In the 1930s, Mr Bassett-Smith was the first person to record the sound of a platypus at the Healesville Sanctuary with naturalist David Fleay.
Later, he was invited to join the 1948 American-Australian scientific expedition to Arnhem Land where he spent more than six months documenting indigenous life.
Mr Bassett-Smith is survived by Mrs Bassett-Smith and their children Robin, Joe and Elizabeth.
His funeral will be held at 2pm on August 10 at St Margaret’s Church, 79-81 Pitt St, Eltham.
A century of Kodak moments
December 17, 2011
Peter Bassett-Smith, 1911-2011
Peter Bassett-Smith was part of the 1948 Australian-American expedition to Arnhem Land under the auspices of National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute.
He also was appointed honorary cine-photographer for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954, as well as the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, particularly covering the visit of Prince Philip.
John Marion Peter Bassett-Smith was born on January 25, 1911 in Buenos Aires in Argentina, where his parents, Mary and Walter, an architect, had moved from England in the late 1880s.
In 1914, with World War I imminent, his mother returned with the family to England and his father followed later. In 1922, the family migrated to Australia. Bassett-Smith attended Melbourne Grammar School, then Geelong Grammar, where he coxed a rowing crew and earned his school colours for shooting.
His first job was as a timber clerk but he was laid off in the Depression and began studies at Ridley College with a view to becoming a clergyman. About this time he developed a passion for cine-photography.
At Ridley he met David Fleay, who went on to be the Healesville Sanctuary naturalist of international fame. Fleay invited Bassett-Smith to the sanctuary where he became the first person to record the sound of the platypus.
During World War II, Bassett-Smith served in the Australian Imperial Force's signals corps and travelled to the Middle East. He was seconded to the British Army and worked with top-secret radar development. Returning to Australia, he narrowly missed becoming a prisoner of war when technical troops were taken off Java and placed on the last ship to depart before Singapore fell to the Japanese.
He was commissioned as a lieutenant in charge of a Queensland unit and remained in the Army Reserve for some years.
Bassett-Smith joined the Australian Religious Film Society and travelled to Palestine then visited New Caledonia to produce films that were viewed by members of the Australian Senate. On the recommendation of then senior Labor MP, Arthur Caldwell, he was offered a place on the 1948 Australian-American expedition to Arnhem Land.
In 1950, Bassett-Smith was appointed manager of the hardware division of Gollin & Co. In December he took Diana Grant out on a blind first date and proposed to her. They were married in 1951.
In the 1970s, Bassett-Smith retired from Gollin & Co and pursued other interests. Cine-photography remained a passion. He was deeply involved in community affairs and was made a justice of the peace in 1968. In 2001, he was named Citizen of the Year for Nillumbik, and in 2009, the US government bestowed its diplomacy medal on him for his services to the Arnhem Land expedition.
He retained life membership of many organisations, ranging from the CFA at Kangaroo Ground, to Eltham Historical Society, the Kangaroo Ground Andrew Ross Museum, and the RSL.
He had a love for books and words, and a thirst for knowledge, which were shared with an enjoyment of music, gardening, and family life on his farm at Kangaroo Ground.
Peter Bassett-Smith, whose life story is recorded and held at the National Library in Canberra, is survived Diana, their children Robin, Joe, James and Elizabeth.
Robin Bassett-Smith
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Bassett Family Association Database
1911 - 2011 (100 years)