The Falkner Flyer Edition Eight: 15.05.2020
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T H E F A L K N E R F L Y E R LONDON FRIDAY 15th MAY 2020 WELCOME to the eighth edition of for link). The documentary she filmed The Falkner Flyer. This week, as some of while at sea was narrated by Sir Richard the lockdown restrictions are lifted and we Branson, and the producers of the Oscar- can now go outside more than once a day nominated movie Lion are currently and travel to open spaces, we look at the working on a film adaption of Jessica’s natural world as a source of inspiration. story. On completion of the voyage, Jessica was met by the then Prime Minister who ON THIS DAY: declared her an Australian hero. Jessica did not consider herself a hero just an “ordinary person, who had a dream, worked hard at it and proved that anything really is possible”. (Click on her photo for her website.) FAMOUS PERSON: CAPABILITY BROWN May 15, 2010, after 210 days, Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old Australian girl, arrived in Sydney Harbour and became the youngest single-handed, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigator of all time. This would become controversial, for detractors took Watson to task for not sailing far enough into the Northern Hemisphere. No matter. Tens of thousands of fans came out to greet her triumphant return to Australia, while millions watched on national television. But perhaps more Born: 30th August 1716 impressive were the Died: 6th February 1783 numbers of people following her journey in Lancelot Brown (more commonly known real time, through her by the name Capability Brown) was an blog. Overcoming early English landscape architect. (Click on his struggles with dyslexia, Jessica became a portrait above for more information.) storyteller, firstly on her popular blog and Arguably Britain’s most famous landscape then in her bestselling, internationally designer, Brown codified the English published book True Spirit. (Click on book landscape style and worked at over 250 THE FALKNER FLYER EDITION EIGHT: 15.05.2020 T H E F A L K N E R F L Y E R LONDON FRIDAY 15th MAY 2020 sites, for a client list that included the LEGO: (Provided by Miss Day) majority of the House of Lords. He is remembered as "the last of the great Challenge Fifteen: There is a English 18th-century artists to be accorded circus in town. Build a space for his due" and "England's greatest gardener". them to perform in. He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure. He was nicknamed Challenge Sixteen: Build a "Capability" because he would tell his wagon to travel in across the clients that their property had "capability" country with your friends. for improvement. He even became King George III’s royal gardener in 1764. Send photos of your models to: [email protected] TOURS: Explore below the National Trust’s videos on Sheffield Park Gardens and Capability Brown. EDITION 7 (Click on images below for the tour.) submissions: New Earls Court Hilton Photo taken by Miss Day! FACTS: THE FALKNER FLYER EDITION EIGHT: 15.05.2020 T H E F A L K N E R F L Y E R LONDON FRIDAY 15th MAY 2020 APP: FAMOUS PERSON: Help ‘give nature a home’, SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH where you live with (Contributed by Mrs Kelly) this brand new app from the RSPB: the UK’s largest nature conservation charity. Every week they will give you new activities, quizzes or information to help you create a wildlife paradise in your garden, and learn about the creatures you’re helping. With activities to suit the largest of gardens and the smallest of balconies there’s something for everyone. (Click on logo above for the link) • Famous as: Broadcaster, naturalist • Nationality: British • Born: 8th May 1926 TWEET OF THE DAY: • Born in: Isleworth, London, England • Father: Frederick Attenborough Goldfinch • Mother: Mary Attenborough Scientific name: • Married: Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel Carduelis carduelis (left) • Education: Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, Clare College, (Click on birds for University of Cambridge, University bird call links) College London, London School of Economics and Political Science Bullfinch Introduction: Scientific name: Naturalist and television personality David Pyrrhula pyrrhula Attenborough is the father of the modern (right) nature documentary. David Attenborough was born in London in 1926. After studying natural sciences at the University of Cambridge, he began his Greenfinch career as a producer at the BBC, where he Scientific name: launched the successful Zoo Quest series. Carduelis chloris (left) THE FALKNER FLYER EDITION EIGHT: 15.05.2020 T H E F A L K N E R F L Y E R LONDON FRIDAY 15th MAY 2020 great success in their chosen careers, which would take them far from the city of Leicester, where they were raised. College and Career Despite the relative urban surroundings in which he lived, David Attenborough’s fascination with the natural world Attenborough was made controller of BBC developed early, and by the age of 7 he had Two in 1965, and later its’ director of assembled a sizable collection of bird eggs programming. During his tenure, the and fossils. He attended a lecture by the station crossed over to colour television, famous naturalist Grey Owl in 1936. This and Attenborough was instrumental in only served expanding its’ natural history content. to deepen Attenborough left the BBC to begin his interest, writing and producing various series, and after including the smash hit Life on Earth, leaving which set the standards for the modern school he nature documentary. Since then was Attenborough has written, produced, awarded a hosted and narrated countless award- scholarship winning nature-focused programs and has to study devoted his life to celebrating and natural preserving sciences at wildlife. the University Early Life and of Cambridge. Schooling After his two year stint in the Navy, he David was the joined the BBC in 1952 and subsequently second of three became a producer for the Talks boys born to a department - his earliest projects included university Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter. principal and a A three-part series ‘The Pattern of Animals’ writer. He and his brothers would all find THE FALKNER FLYER EDITION EIGHT: 15.05.2020 T H E F A L K N E R F L Y E R LONDON FRIDAY 15th MAY 2020 Life in Cold Blood, broadcast in 2008, completed his collection of programmes on all the major groups of terrestrial animals and plants by showcasing reptiles and amphibians. The ‘Life’ series, begun in 1979, forms a comprehensive survey of all life on the planet - the 96 natural history programmes that he wrote, presented, narrated and produced have had an immeasurable led to a series about an animal-collecting impact. expedition. Zoo Quest was first broadcast in 1954 and became the first of his many BBC Natural History Unit’s productions. Following the establishment of the BBC Natural History Unit in 1957, he formed the Travel and Exploration Unit, to help him front Zoo Quest as well as Travellers' He narrated every episode of Wildlife on Tales and Adventure series. One, a BBC One wildlife series which ran for 253 episodes between 1977 and 2005. In the early 1990s, he presented Life in the At its’ peak, it drew a weekly audience of Freezer and The Private Life of Plants, which eight to ten million. used time-lapse photography to show dynamic, speeded-up growth in plants. Life on Air, his autobiography, was published in 2002 and is one of a number of his works which is available as a self- narrated audiobook. He has also contributed forewords, narrated and introductions to Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, Africa and other BBC series. The Life of Mammals, broadcast in 2002 used low-light and infrared cameras to reveal the Legacy behaviour of nocturnal mammals. Life in His brothers are the actor Richard Undergrowth exploited macro photography Attenborough, and John who is an to capture natural behaviour of very small executive at Alfa Romeo. He also has two creatures. adoptive sisters. (Click on images for videos and more information) THE FALKNER FLYER EDITION EIGHT: 15.05.2020 T H E F A L K N E R F L Y E R LONDON FRIDAY 15th MAY 2020 In 1950, he married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel; the couple had two children, Robert and Susan. SONG OF THE DAY: "Remember Me” – Oscar winning song from the film Coco (Click on image for YouTube link) LYRICS: (Alfred Russel Wallace Statue Unveiling) Remember me Though I have to say goodbye He is the vice-president of BTCV, vice- president of Fauna and Flora International, Remember me president of Butterfly Conservation and Don't let it make you cry president of Leicestershire and Rutland For even if I'm far away I hold you in my heart Wildlife Trust. I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart Remember me A lifelong supporter of the BBC, he has often lent his support to issues related to Though I have to travel far public broadcasting and the television licence. In the 1980s, he received a BAFTA Remember me Fellowship and a Knighthood and was Each time you hear a sad guitar named a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be In the 1990s, he was awarded the Until you're in my arms again Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Remember me (CVO) for producing Queen Elizabeth II's ("Remember Me" is a song from the 2017 Christmas broadcast for a number of years.