Person
McMichael, Donald Fred (1932 - 2017)
CBE
- Born
- January 1932
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia - Died
- 10 June 2017
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia - Occupation
- Malacologist, Museum curator and Museum director
Summary
Don McMichael was a malacologist who worked at the Australian Museum for nearly 20 years, being Curator of Molluscs from 1957 to 1967. During this time he was responsible for vastly improving the housing and curation of the malacological collections. In his work on Australian freshwater mussels, published with I. D. Hiscock in 1958, McMichael was the first to describe anatomical and well as shell characters and distribution. With Tom Iredale he issued a checklist of New South Wales marine molluscs which included over 2,000 species. Other publications including popular books on shells. After leaving the Australian Museum McMichael headed a number of organisations related to environmental conservation for the New South Wales and Australian Governments. He was inaugural Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation, and of the National Museum of Australia.
Details
Chronology
- 1948
- Career position - Trainee at Australian Museum
- 1952
- Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Sydney
- 1952 - 1957
- Career position - Assistant Curator, Australian Museum
- 1953
- Award - Fulbright Travelling Scholarship
- 1955
- Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
- 1957 - 1967
- Career position - Curator of Molluscs, Australian Museum
- 1961 - 1968
- Career position - Editor, Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia
- 1965 - 1968
- Career position - Secretary-Treasurer, Malacological Society of Australia
- 1967 - 1968
- Career position - Inaugural Director, Australian Conservation Foundation
- 1969
- Career position - President, Malacological Society of Australia
- 1969 - 1973
- Career position - Director, New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service
- 1973 - 1975
- Career position - President, River Murray Commission
- 1973 - 1975
- Career position - Secretary, Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Conservation
- 1975 - 1978
- Career position - Director of Environment, Commonwealth Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development
- 1976 - 1978
- Career position - Chairman, Great Barrier Reef Advisory Committee
- 1978 - 1984
- Career position - Secretary, Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs and Environment
- 1981
- Award - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- 1981 - 1983
- Career position - Chairman, Environment Committee, OECD
- 1981 - 1983
- Career position - Director, Australian Minerals and Energy Environment Foundation
- 1984 - 1989
- Career position - Director, National Museum of Australia, Canberra
- 1987 - 1989
- Career position - Chairman of Council, Canberra College of Advanced Education
- 1989 - 1992
- Career position - Chairman, Committee on Tax Incentives for the Arts
- 1991 - 1992
- Career position - Chairman, Biological Diversity Advisory Committee, Department of Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories
- 1992 - 1997
- Career position - Member, ACT Heritage Council
- 1993 - 1996
- Career position - Deputy Chairman, ACT Land and Planning Appeals Board
- 1995 - 1996
- Career position - Chairman, University Museums and Collections Review Committee
- 1995 - 2000
- Career position - Director and Honorary Secretary, ICOM 98 Ltd
- 1997 -
- Career position - Senior Member, Australian Capital Territory Administrative Appeals Tribunal
- 2001
- Award - Centenary Medal for service as the first Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- McMichael, D. F., 'Brazier, John William (1842-1930), conchologist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 3: 1851 - 1890 A-C, Douglas Pike, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1969), pp. 221-222. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030206b.htm. Details
- McMichael, D. F., 'Allan, Catherine Mabel Joyce (1896-1976), conchologist and museum director' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 13: 1940 - 1980 A-De, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1993), pp. 25-26. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130030b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- Iredale, T.; and McMichael, D. F., 'A reference list of the marine molluscs of New South Wales', Memoirs of the Australian Museum, 11 (1962), 1-109. Details
- McMichael, D. F., 'Obituary - Charles Francis Laseron', Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia, 1 (3) (1959), 3. https://doi.org/10.1080/00852988.1959.10673760. Details
- McMichael, D. F., 'Scientific Research at the Australian Museum', Australian Natural History, 14 (1963), 165-168. Details
- McMichael, D. F.; and Hiscock, I. D., 'A monograph of the freshwater mussels (Mollusca: Pelecypoda) of the Australian region', Australian journal of marine and freshwater research, 9 (1958), 372-508. Details
- McMichael, D. F.; and Whitley, G. P., 'A Bibliography of Charles Francis Laseron with an Index to his New Genera and Species', Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 1958/9 (1961), 114-130. Details
- McMichael, Donald F.; and Whitley, Gilbert P., 'The Published Writings of Tom Iredale with an Index of his Scientific Names', The Australian Zoologist, 12 (1956), 211-250. Details
- Monger, Alan, 'Farewell, Don McMichael', Newsletter (Malacological Society of Australasia), 163 (2017), 3. Details
- Ponder, Winston; Loch, Ian; Talbot, Frank; and Kabat, Alan, 'Dr Donald F. McMichael CBE - his malacological contributions', Molluscan research, 38 (1) (2018), 1-4. http://doi.org.10.1080.13235818.2017.1373420. Details
Resources
- Rice, Tom, 'McMichael, Donald Fred (1932 - 2017)', Shellers from the past and the present, Conchology Inc., Mactan Island, Philippines, 2023, https://www.conchology.be/?t=9001&id=24703. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 9 April 2019, Last modified: 9 February 2023