Don Burke
Encyclopedia
Donald William "Don" Burke OAM
(born 16 July 1947) is an Australia
n television
personality and author. He is best known as the long time host of Burke's Backyard
, a lifestyle program which ran for 17 years from 1987 to late 2004 on the Nine Network
. It has returned several times over recent years with a number of Burke's Backyard Specials. The show has now returned again with several segments on Nine's A Current Affair.
Donald's television show launched or furthered the on-air careers of a number of Australian media personalities including Harry Cooper
and Jamie Durie
.
It also brought controversy: his "road tests" of varying dog breeds, his outspokenness about welfare problems in pedigree dog breeding and his support of designer dog breeding have all attracted both criticism and applause.
In 2004, Business Review Weekly
listed Burke among its top 50 entertainers list, saying he earned 8.5 million in 2003.
Burke is a former board member of Landcare
Australia Limited and has been active in a number of other public roles. He has been an outspoken critic of numerous environmental advocacy groups. In July 2005, Burke became the Chair of the Australian Environment Foundation
, a group that has links to the politically conservative Institute of Public Affairs
.
Burke was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
on 26 January 2010 for service to conservation and the environment through advisory roles, to the horticultural industry, and to the media as a television presenter.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 16 July 1947) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
personality and author. He is best known as the long time host of Burke's Backyard
Burke's Backyard
Burke's Backyard is an Australian gardening and lifestyle program, broadcast on both radio and television. On television, it was a regular weekly series on the Nine Network from 1987 to 2004.- History :...
, a lifestyle program which ran for 17 years from 1987 to late 2004 on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. It has returned several times over recent years with a number of Burke's Backyard Specials. The show has now returned again with several segments on Nine's A Current Affair.
Career
Donald graduated from St Aloysius' College in 1965 under the headmaster of Fr Vincent Conway SJ.Donald's television show launched or furthered the on-air careers of a number of Australian media personalities including Harry Cooper
Harry Cooper (veterinarian)
Harold Leonard Cooper , is an Australian vet and well known in the media.Cooper began his media career in a veterinary segment on a morning television talk show in Sydney. Later he became known as the resident veterinarian on the long-running series Burke's Backyard...
and Jamie Durie
Jamie Durie
Jamie Durie is an Australian landscaper and television personality. Formerly a prominent personality for the Nine Network, Durie has hosted a variety of programs for them, mostly "lifestyle" shows, such as Backyard Blitz, Renovation Rescue and The Block.Jamie previously was the host of the Seven...
.
It also brought controversy: his "road tests" of varying dog breeds, his outspokenness about welfare problems in pedigree dog breeding and his support of designer dog breeding have all attracted both criticism and applause.
In 2004, Business Review Weekly
Business Review Weekly
BRW is an Australian weekly business magazine published by the Fairfax Media group. It regularly compiles lists which rank corporations and individuals according to various criteria, similar to Fortune magazine in the United States.BRW provides news and commentary on the economy, business and...
listed Burke among its top 50 entertainers list, saying he earned 8.5 million in 2003.
Burke is a former board member of Landcare
Landcare
Landcare may refer to:*Landcare , a group formed to seek land protection*Landcare Australia, an umbrella organisation seeking land protection in Australia*Landcare Research New Zealand Limited*Landcare...
Australia Limited and has been active in a number of other public roles. He has been an outspoken critic of numerous environmental advocacy groups. In July 2005, Burke became the Chair of the Australian Environment Foundation
Australian Environment Foundation
The Australian Environment Foundation is a not-for-profit advocacy organisation. It differs from many other such groups because it accepts most traditional human activities in the environment, such as farming and forestry, seeking to combine these with an enhanced concern for nature...
, a group that has links to the politically conservative Institute of Public Affairs
Institute of Public Affairs
The Institute of Public Affairs is a public policy think tank based in Melbourne, Australia. It advocates free market economic policies such as privatisation and deregulation of state-owned enterprises, trade liberalisation and deregulated workplaces, climate change skepticism , and the...
.
Burke was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
on 26 January 2010 for service to conservation and the environment through advisory roles, to the horticultural industry, and to the media as a television presenter.
External links
- Don Burke at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Burke's Backyard website
- Don Burke on Sourcewatch.org