Fans of Sir David Attenborough from across Birmingham and the Black Country are celebrating the 'soothing voice' of their childhoods as he turns 100 today. The legendary broadcaster, born on May 8, 1926, has been the calming presence behind over 100 documentaries spanning more than 70 years, with his career beginning with Zoo Quest in 1954.
Local Tributes Pour In
Birthday wishes have been flooding in from admirers who have long regarded him as a national treasure. Many in the West Midlands have dubbed him the 'voice of their childhoods,' with some crediting his work as the inspiration for their careers.
Abdul Aziz, a science teacher at Ark Victoria Academy in Small Heath, Birmingham, recalled watching Attenborough documentaries with his father as a boy in East London. 'I grew up at a time when there were very few TV channels. I had fights with my sister because she wanted to watch a movie, and I wanted to watch Life on Earth,' he said. 'He has that gravitas. With just a few words he manages to have all the impact really. And that soothing voice. You just can't help but listen.' Aziz has even used Attenborough's Green Planet documentary to teach photosynthesis to his classes.
Chris Millward, who grew up in Staffordshire and is the creator of the Brum Biosphere initiative and co-founder of Team4Nature, said: 'Life on Earth in 1979 brought the fascinating wider world of wildlife to me. Aged 10, I was growing up in Staffordshire where my local patch covered farmland that had been partially shaped by mining activity. I remember the excitement and counting down the minutes till it came on! Sir David's infectious enthusiasm and passion inspired and guided me in the art of powerful storytelling. We will never know how many millions of lives this special man has touched and influenced.'
Paulette Williams-Jones, a former NHS ward manager who runs the Willenhall cycling group Give a Girl a Bike and is a keen gardener, said: 'When I watch an Attenborough documentary, I'm thinking, oh my goodness, I did not know that. Not only has he educated me, he's amazed me... Things that you wouldn't dream of thinking about, he's brought that to life. It doesn't matter what country David Attenborough is in, it always brings it to home. What's happening across the world is happening right here in England. All the time now I am thinking of ways I can save the planet.'
North Edgbaston resident Nettes Derbyshire chiefly remembers his earlier work on safari and in jungles. 'I am sure everyone has very fond memories of the programme he did with the gorillas, which for me led into quite a fascination with behaviour and communication in general,' she says. 'My husband absolutely loved the prehistoric planet, and still frequently comments on how old some species we still have with us actually are. This does give me hope that, even if we destroy ourselves, the planet and life on it will continue.'
Dave Taylor of Ryecroft Community Hub in Blakenall commented: 'He's really engaging, number one. He makes things easy to understand, he's got a nice way of things. And he's innovative. I used to love Wildlife on One. All these exotic animals and places that you wouldn't dream of seeing brought to life - absolutely brilliant for a kid who lives in Walsall. If we can all take on board the message he's sending out, it's that the earth is precious and we've only got one chance at this. We need to look after what we've got or there's just no coming back.'
James Benwell, who works in communications for Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust, said his early fascination with Sir David's documentaries developed into a lifelong love of nature and a career in conservation. 'I enjoyed watching Wild London at New Year. Attenborough is a man who has travelled the world and seen it all but still manages to shine a light on the beauty and importance of urban wildlife. Here in Birmingham there is just as much of a wealth of wildlife to be discovered, whether it's wild deer or wild orchids, if you only take the time to look!'
Dr Rob Tilling, project co-ordinator of Fruit & Nut Village which tends orchards and forest gardens across Birmingham, said he and his Zoology coursemates at Newcastle University treated Sir David's works as an unofficial learning aid. 'The diversity of information his programmes contained are great additional knowledge to any biological sciences undergraduate. Before that, David was part of my growing up. As a child I would spend long periods of the summer in green spaces, searching out the fine details of the natural world. I've spent my career focused on outdoor spaces and how we interact as a species with nature. Now at Fruit & Nut Village, I can still trace the origins of my understanding of human-nature interactions to those early learnings.'
Ward End teacher Zafroon Bibi has proposed an annual David Attenborough Day in schools, where pupils spend the day outdoors engaging with nature. 'One day a year in the curriculum where no-one spends time indoors, but goes outdoors and looks after nature. Switches all the power off!' she said. The event would invite students to 'celebrate, plant, look around, write poems, do a bit of art, enjoy the nature' in honour of the great scientist, filmmaker and communicator.
