32 Facts About Charles Moses

Sir Charles Alfred Joseph Moses was a British-born Australian administrator who was general manager of the Australian Broadcasting Commission from 1935 until 1965.

Charles Joseph Alfred Moses was born at Woodlands Farm in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, on 21 January 1900, one of five children of Joseph Moses, a farmer, and his wife Elizabeth, nee Henderson.

Charles Moses then entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, graduating in 1917.

Peacetime soldiering not being to his liking, Charles Moses resigned his commission later that year; the newlyweds emigrated to Australia to join the rest of his family, who had emigrated in 1919.

Charles Moses used his payout from the British Army to buy the family farm in Bendigo, Victoria.

Charles Moses moved to Melbourne where he tried selling real estate, and worked as a physical training instructor.

Charles Moses sold cars for six years before the onset of the Great Depression, when he found himself out of work.

Charles Moses applied for a position as a radio announcer at the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

Charles Moses was 6 feet tall and weighed 17 stone, and was noted for his prowess as an athlete.

Charles Moses had represented the state of Victoria in rugby union, was a champion discus-thrower, and had won the Victorian amateur heavyweight boxing championship in 1925.

Charles Moses had played soccer, cricket and hockey while in the Army; but he had no knowledge of ice hockey.

Charles Moses read up on the sport and called the game.

Charles Moses's broadcast was successful, and he was invited to join the ABC a week later, in August 1930.

Charles Moses became the ABC's Sporting Editor in Sydney in January 1933, the Federal Controller of Talks in September 1934, the Federal Liaison Officer in August 1935, and finally, in November 1935, the general manager.

Cleary and Charles Moses fostered Australian talent and promoted original content, but they brought out overseas artists like Elisabeth Rethberg, Ezio Pinza, Malcolm Sargent, Lotte Lehman, and Arthur Rubinstein.

When war broke out in September 1939, Charles Moses decided to broadcast the news independent of News Limited.

Charles Moses volunteered for service with the Second Australian Imperial Force on 13 May 1940, and was given the AIF service number NX12404.

Charles Moses was promoted to major on 24 August 1941, and on 30 August joined the staff of AIF Malaya, under Major General Gordon Bennett.

In Batavia, Charles Moses was knocked down by a taxi, fracturing his ribs.

Charles Moses was diagnosed with scrub typhus, and placed on the dangerously ill list.

Charles Moses was evacuated by a Dutch freighter and taken to Perth where he was hospitalised at the 110th and 113th General Hospitals.

Curtin feared that unless Charles Moses was at the helm, the ABC would revert to sourcing all its news from the agencies.

In February 1945, Charles Moses attended the Empire Broadcasting Conference in London, and was invited to see how the war in Europe was being reported by the BBC.

Charles Moses observed the crossing of the Rhine by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's forces, and crossed the Rhine River with the British Commandos.

Charles Moses did not neglect high culture; in 1945 he reached an agreement with the Sydney City Council to create an ABC orchestra.

Charles Moses sent copies of the video to commercial stations, and it was broadcast by the Nine Network in Sydney and the Seven Network in Melbourne.

Charles Moses retired in 1965 and was succeeded as head of the ABC by Sir Talbot Duckmanton.

When Charles Moses had taken charge in 1935, he had less than 300 people and just 14 radio stations.

Charles Moses was made a Commander of the Order of British Empire in the 1954 Birthday Honours, and was knighted in the 1961 Birthday Honours.

Charles Moses became a foundation member of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1954, and helped with the design competition for the Sydney Opera House, becoming a foundation member of the Sydney Opera House Trust in 1961.

Charles Moses died at Turramurra in Sydney on 9 February 1988, and his remains were cremated.

Charles Moses had a son named Tom; his daughter Kathleen had died in 1960.