Written by Jo Pfitzner (Morrie’s daughter)
‘If you survive Morrie, you’ll survive in the industry’
Jennifer Keyte, Newsreader
Brusque, impatient, rude and bossy, yet gifted, creative and generous.
Modris Pilens was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1928. His father, Janis, a merchant seaman, was frequently away; his mother Anna was chronically unwell. He became independent at an early age. He experienced the 1941 invasion of Latvia by the Germans, and witnessed his Jewish neighbours being taken away.
During his childhood, Pilens found work at the local picture house. He built up his experience to the point where he was co-opted into a Latvian division of the German SS as a war correspondent in the propaganda unit run by Joseph Goebbels. He witnessed how the public was conditioned; had the innate ability to understand people and their motivations. During his service on the Russian front the camera was his conjoined companion, and so began a lifetime of observing the world through the lens.
After the war Pilens emigrated to Australia and quickly assimilated into his new country. His Australian (second) wife Ruth and children, whom he fiercely loved and protected, were not to hear of the horrors of his early years until much later.
After trying his hand at several jobs, Pilens joined the nascent news television scene in the 1950’s. He worked freelance for a while, until joining the newly created Channel 0 (now Channel 10). ‘They were the early days,’ he recalls. ‘There were no rules. We made up the rules!’ And so they did. Time and time again, former colleagues have shared stories of his creativity, wisdom, cheek and even aggression to get the story.
Pilens’ eccentricities were well known amongst his colleagues: home-made European delicacies, constant op-shop hunting, and frightening the newbies. But his work ethic, skills and high standards were admired.
Donna Meiklejohn-Jenkins recalls; ’Some of the things Morrie taught me about on-camera presentation inspired me throughout my career. In fact, I passed many of them on to my students at UQ and QUT. I loved working with Morrie – always a straight shooter, he had such a kind heart. On cold Melbourne mornings, waiting for something to break on police rounds, he would share his flask of hot black tea and lemon and liverwurst sandwiches.’
Many of Pilens’ former workmates are still in the industry. If they are reading this, they may recall this man with mixed feelings: irritation and admiration; fear and trust, hilarity and tragedy.
News nowadays is a streamlined machine; I doubt there are too many Morries left to enhance its flavor the way he did. Stories are now told as legends. And Morrie features in many of them.
Melbourne personality Eddie McGuire remembers Pilens as his first boss, only half joking when he says ‘Morrie taught me everything I know; I think (he) is one of the great people of television, a man of great generosity and spirit.’
You may not have heard of this former news cameraman whose camera never blinked, but his influence continues to be felt in the news industry today.