Ashley Miskelly
Young Ashley with his mother , Judith . Ashley ’ s parents , Judith in particular , fostered his interest in the natural world , and encouraged him in his passion for sea urchins .
|
shells , tun shells and abalone shells .
There ’ s also a shop where visitors can purchase colourful posters , sea urchin tests ( shells ) and a copy of Ashley ’ s superb publication , Sea Urchins of the World – Diversity , Symmetry and Design .
Folk from around the globe have visited the centre , including several groups from Japan whose trips to Australia were primarily to view Ashley ’ s painstakingly acquired collection .
“ My interest in sea urchins began as a young child when my parents , dad , Norman , and mum , Judith , took my year-older sister , Rowena , and I down to Sydney ’ s northern beaches where we were given free rein to explore ,” Ashley said .
“ Mum , in particular encouraged me to pursue my interest in life on the seashore – in fact , she would permit Rowena and I to take days off school to head down to the beaches and explore .
“ My parents gave me lots of freedom and exposure to the natural world and for that I have been forever thankful .”
Ashley was smitten by the sea urchins bug as a four-year-old and his passion for the astonishing creatures grew over the ensuing years .
He was able to mix collecting sea urchins whilst enjoying a wide range of school sports including Little Athletics , baseball , volleyball , swimming , cycling , and cross country .
Ashley graduated with his Higher School Certificate from Ku-ring-gai High
|
|
|
|
School in 1986 , when his interest in sea urchins grew into life ’ s passion .
Over the ensuing years , he has developed a reputation around the globe as the “ go to ” man for any information on sea urchins .
Ashley doesn ’ t have degree from a university but such is his knowledge of sea urchins he has earned the reputation as arguably the world ’ s most respected expert on sea urchins .
He has had published three highly esteemed and popular books on his favourite creatures – Sea Urchins of Australia and the Indo-Pacific ( 2002 ), Sea Urchins of the World – Diversity , Symmetry and Design ( 2009 ) and a contribution of 100 pages to the 624- page 2017 CSIRO Publishing best-seller , Australian Echinoderms – Biology , Ecology and Evolution .
I had to ask Ashley about his venture to the Antarctic .
“ Well , it came about in July 2010 , through receiving a ‘ Sea Urchins of the World ’ book order from a scientist , Dr Catherine King ,” Ashley explained .
“ I had a copy in my car , so I decided to hand-deliver the book to her home which was on the Northern Beaches .
“ When I arrived , her husband , Dave , told me to hang around because Cath was expected home soon – and so I did .
“ Well , we got chatting , she learned of my vast knowledge of sea urchins , and I , that she was a Principal Research Scientist with the Australian Antarctic Division .
“ Whilst there I had pleasure in identifying some of her sea urchin collection and she seemed impressed by my knowledge .
“ Anyway , a few weeks later Catherine visited me at my then home at Blackheath where I housed my collection , and so impressed by my professional curating , she asked would I be interested in going to Antarctica to do further research on sea urchins .”
Ashley wasn ’ t down the back of the queue when smarts were being divvied out and accepted the offer .
“ Despite having qualified as an open water scuba diver in 1994 , I had to undergo further training in Hobart diving for snorkeling in Antarctic waters , so come October 2010 , I was on board the icebreaker , Aurora Australis , sailing to the Antarctic for a six-month stint ,” Ashley said .
“ It was a mind-blowing experience , working with those other experts in their field on that absolutely magnificent and beautiful place – truly amazing .”
I asked Ashley – as is my want – did he have any other current interests .
“ I also operate a nautical themed stall
in the fabulous Victory Theatre Antique Centre at Blackheath , and I really enjoy restoring antique lighting and collecting antique bottles ,” he replied .
Yep , you see , that little urchin from East Wahroonga has been able to earn a living doing something he loves . If we could all be so lucky ! For further information on the Sea Urchin Science Centre , or to book a tour , go to the website at seaurchinscience . com .
Oh yes , you MUST type : “ abc Ashley miskelly video ” into your search bar and up comes a 21 minutes video of Ashley ’ s journey into the world of sea urchins .
It is fabulous !
KURMOND
Your Local Independent BP
4572
7549 “ For Great Service & Competitive Prices ” Come Visit Us In Store
729 George Street SOUTH WINDSOR
Full Convenience Store OPEN 24 HOURS
EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR
Not just a place for great coffee but also great service !
DELICIOUS FRESHLY
HOT ROASTED CHICKEN !
PLUS .... Gourmet Pies , Sausage Rolls & Great Coffee
Independently owned & supporting the local community for over 35 years 501 Bells Line of Road 4573 1324
WIDE RANGE OF LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES , TOOLS & HARDWARE !
• Garden Soils
• Topdressing Soils
• Turf Underlay
• Sand
• Fertilisers
• Manure
• Decorative Pebbles
• Decorative Mulches
• Cement Products
• Building Supplies
• Bricks , Blocks & Pavers
• Firewood
Phone 4572 7549 www . parkleasandsoil . com . au
THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 161 // OCTOBER 2023 7