John Davis

John Davis (c. 1944 – 7 November 2015) was an Australian documentary filmmaker, mountaineer, television producer, chemist, and member of the Greens. On 14 February 1965, Davis, together with Bryden Allen, Jack Pettigrew and David Witham, became the first climbers to reach the summit of Ball's Pyramid, the world's tallest volcano stack. Davis made more than 100 twenty minute programs, focusing primarily on chemistry and physics, for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation beginning in 1966. He was also the former producer of the long running Behind the News for approximately two and a half years. He left ABC in 1984 to start an educational video company, Classroom Video, which he and his wife, Felicity, owned and operated until 2005. Davis was 71 years old. Reports suggest that the trio, who were active with The Greens, were filming environmental damage surrounding the Whitehaven Coal mine at Werris Creek at the time of the crash.