1974 Winner of the Beenleigh Rotary Religious Art Award The Christ;

1982 Life Member of The Queen Victoria Hospital Adelaide SA;

1983 Churchill Fellowship;

1984 Winning designs for the official medallion collection for the Australian Bicentenary commissioned by the Royal Australian Mint and the Australian Bicentennial Authority;

1985 Winning design for the 1988 Bicentennial fifty-cent coin commissioned by the Royal Australian Mint and the Australian Bicentennial Authority;

1987 Winning design for the Franco-Australian commemorative medallion commissioned by the Monnaie de Paris, France;

1989 Elected as a full member of the Design Institute of Australia;

1990 Awarded the Best International Trade Coin by the International Numismatic Board and Krause Publications, London;

1995 Awarded first class Honours in Archaeology, ANU;

1996 Australian Postgraduate Award (PhD ANU);

2007 Doctorate conferred ANU;

2008 Winning design for Royal Queensland Historical Society Journal, Brisbane, Q.

Prior to a professional career and research in archaeology Michael was a qualified Graphics and Industrial Designer and has designed many of Australia’s investment and circulation coins. Michael acted as the design consultant and historic advisor to the Australian Bicentennial.

Sculptural exhibitions presented from 1979 to 1988 depicted characters from Australia's history, traditional music, poetry and folklore. ‘Pioneers’, presented in London in 1981 was his first exhibition in the U.K. Michael has had considerable experience in lecturing, teaching and publication and is a qualified marine archaeologist. He is an accomplished musician and sportsman holding gold medals for National Championship target archery.

Born Cairns, North Queensland, Australia; Married, with four children and nine grandchildren and three great grand children.

Educated at Our Lady’s Mount, Christian Brothers College Townsville and Mount Carmel College, Charters Towers, Queensland to Queensland State Junior level.

Undertook a three-year apprenticeship as an electrical fitter mechanic and a further year in electrical engineering while conscripted for military service.

Served in the Royal Australian Engineers Department of the Army at the School of Military Engineering as a Field Engineer and Design Draughtsman. Honourably discharged from the Army in 1968.

Appointed Town Planning Assistant with Botany Municipal Council, Mascot NSW. Duties included: general town planning and office administration, the drafting and cartography of the proposed Mascot Town Plan and Mascot Airport for public and NSW State Government presentation and approval. Studied photography and fine art. Appointed to part-time position as sound technician for Baron Film Productions then to assistant camera operator and later head cinema-photographer. Resigned from Botany Municipal Council and undertook cinematographic work full time.

Established a commercial and industrial photographic agency in Sydney and Townsville. Work undertaken included line and graphic reproduction for the Graphic Arts, including B&W, colour film and transparency processing. Appointed consultant Graphics Designer for the North Queensland Electricity Board in the Marketing and Public Relations Department. Duties included: Graphics design for approval for press advertising, corporate brochures, public relations publications, annual reports, apprenticeship and safety training publications, corporate seminars and displays.

Promoted to Audiovisual Officer, with additional duties. The design and implementation of the Board's 30-minute television program, including set and uniform design, commercial production and monitoring it for areas of effectiveness and improvement. To supervise the scripting, production and editing of TV commercials, promotional and safety films. All sound recording, mixing, studio use and media liaison for promotional and public relations activities, media presentation by the Chairman, education and training tapes. Designed, supervised construction and commissioned the Board's internal audio recording facilities. Represented the Board at national seminars on the design of special media services and the introduction of colour television to Australia.

Sponsored to present 16 exhibitions of sculptural works in Australia and overseas. Awarded and completed nine major public commissions in this period. Work is represented in State galleries, corporate and private collections.

Awarded a Churchill Memorial Fellowship, to study overseas, the use of laser technology for measuring, cutting and manufacturing high precision dies and moulds. Studied in China, England, Germany, Scotland, United States of America and New Zealand.

Commissioned by the Royal Australian Mint and the Australian Bicentennial Authority following sculptural exhibition in London, to design the official medallion collection for the Australian Bicentenary. Designed or participated in the design of eight similar medallions for the Authority and the Mint. Commissioned to design and sculpt the 1988 Bicentennial fifty-cent coin, which subsequently won the 'Best International Trade Coin' from 142 participating mints in 1988. The award was presented at the International Numismatic Board in London in 1990 on behalf of Krause Publications. In the same year won the commission and sculpted the design for the Monnaie de Paris, France, Franco-Australian commemorative medallion. Accepted design commissions for coinage design from the Paris and Singapore mints.

Retained by the Perth Mint and GoldCorp (WA) to design three years of platinum investment coinage for those organisations, including the proof and investment circulation of the Australian Platinum Koala, which in 1989 became the world’s first international tradable investment coin.

Undertook Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree at the Australian National University in Archaeology and Religious Studies. Completed PhD research and Archaeological Consultant for Heritage Archaeology.

Archaeological guide for tours of Vietnam, Tasmania, Egypt and Jordan.

2007 - 2008 - Publication and Artwork

Proceeding with publication of PhD research The TSS Douglas Mawson Saga. Writing and publishing 'The Wooden working Boats of Vietnam and Vietnam ~ Images of Light.

2009 - Winning design for the Royal Queensland Historical Society Journal.

Completed exhibition of experimental photography and limited edition prints My Sister's Garden.