General Press Release No. 232 (June 1999)

Retirement of David McNicoll

The Australian Press Council notes with regret the retirement of one its founding members, David McNicoll.

Mr McNicoll's term ends today, after twenty-three years of continuous membership of the Council.

When the Council was mooted in 1976, Mr McNicoll, a former editor-in-chief of Australian Consolidated Press (ACP), was one of the senior editorial figures involved in the negotiations towards the Council's formation. He suggested the appointment of retired High Court Justice, Sir Frank Kitto, as the founding Chairman.

Mr McNicoll was appointed as a founding member of the Council by the then Australian Newspaper Council and, following the restructure of the Council in 1987, was appointed by ACP as its nominee to the Council. He has served in that position since then.

The Chairman of the Council, Professor Dennis Pearce, said today: "David McNicoll has been one of the most important members of the Council. His standing in the community and as a journalist gave credibility to the Council in its early days. He made a vital contribution to its formation and his continued membership of the Council helped it develop into a body which now meets the community's expectations of a self-regulatory body for the press."

Mr McNicoll has recently suffered a stroke and is recovering at home. He hopes to return to his column at The Bulletin in the future.

Born in Geelong and educated at Scotch College, Melbourne, Mr McNicoll started his journalistic career with The Sydney Morning Herald in 1933. He joined the 2nd A.I.F. in 1940 and served in the Middle East and North Australia. He was subsequently appointed a war correspondent and, in 1944-45, covered the D-Day landings and US 3rd Army's drive into Germany.

From 1946-53, he was a columnist and sub-editor at The Daily Telegraph. He was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Consolidated Press in 1953 and served in that roile until 1974. After stepping down, he became a columnist and editorial consultant to The Bulletin. He was for many years the moderator of TV's Meet the Press.

He was awarded the CBE in 1969 and later created a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur by the French government.

Mr McNicoll has written several books, including Luck's A Fortune, his autobiography.

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