Phillip Law

After the war (during which he was a valuable member of Professor T.H. Laby's Scientific Instruments and Optical Panel) PhiIIip Law was appointed Senior Scientific Officer of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) when these were first established in 1947. His duties were to develop and coordinate programmes of scientific research for the expeditions and to participate in the cosmic ray experiments. In 1949 Law was appointed Director of the Antarctic Division of the Department of External Affairs, a post that he held untiI 1966. In this position he created an organization for scientific research and exploration and led it so successfully that Australian Antarctic achievements have earned the respect of the world. Under his direction some 4000 miles of Antarctic coast were charted and a very large area of unknown territory explored and mapped. Law collaborated with the Bureau of Meteorology and the Bureau of Mineral Resources to develop scientific work at two Sub-Antarctic stations, Heard Island and Macquarie Island. Programmes in cosmic rays, upper atmosphere physics and glaciology were developed within the Antarctic Division. Law also took a keen personal interest in work on Antarctic biology, hydrography (in collaboration with the RAN) and cartography (in collaboration with the Division of National Mapping).

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