He was encouraged in his hobby by his parents and by George Cann, the "Snake Man of La Perouse",[2] and latterly Keeper of Reptiles at Taronga Park Zoo.
[4] He left school at 13 and spent several years in work gangs in regional New South Wales and Queensland, studying drawing and photography in his spare time.
[2] In 1955 CSL provided Worrell, together with Ken Slater and Ram Chandra with some of the first doses of Taipan antivenom, in recognition of the dangers involved in their work.
Among his friends were the naturalist Vincent Serventy, zoologist Jock Marshall, photographer Jeff Carter and artist Russell Drysdale.
[2] Worrell died of a heart attack at his home within the grounds of the Reptile Park on 13 July 1987. after his death the park was relocated to Somersby, New South Wales Apart from numerous scientific papers and popular natural history articles in Walkabout, Wildlife, Australian Outdoors, Pix and People Magazine, books authored, coauthored or contributed to by Worrell include:[1]