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Peter Stanley chairs an open mike session as a tribute to Mike Smith. Short contributions were made from Calogero Santoro, a colleague from Chile, other colleagues and students who have worked with Mike, with the day finishing with comments by Mike Smith.

An introduction to the work of pioneering desert archaeologist Dr Mike Smith by Andrew Sayers, Director of the National Museum of Australia, followed by a reading by Mark O’Connor of his poem ‘Desert Archaeology’.

A tribute to pioneering desert archaeologist Dr Mike Smith. Speakers June Ross, John Mulvaney, Barry Cundy, Giles Hamm and Chris Turney reflect on their time teaching and working with Mike, and the developing field of desert archaeology in Australia.

Artist Jo Bertini talks about her portrait of her friend and colleague, desert archaeologist Dr Mike Smith. Jo also outlines Mike’s great passion for desserts, and presents a book of dessert recipes compiled by his friends.

Dr Mike Smith’s former colleagues investigate the layers of Mike’s career, discussing digs through which Mike developed his knowledge of the human past in Australia, and how museums have contributed to mainstream knowledge of desert archaeology.

Artist Mandy Martin reflects on her work with desert archaeologist Dr Mike Smith. Mandy and Mike worked together in multi-disciplinary teams studying the Puritjarra rock shelter in the Northern Territory and Paruku, or Lake Gregory, in north-eastern Australia.

This session reflected on the speakers’ travels by camels and in four-wheel drives as well as work with Dr Mike Smith in deserts and museums as well as the partnerships Mike formed with artists and Indigenous communities.

The book, co-edited by Martin Thomas and Margo Neale, extends on the papers presented at the ‘Barks, Birds and Billabongs: Exploring the legacy of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land’ Symposium held in November 2009.

An esteemed panel discusses Bob Edwards’ impact in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, museums and museum management.

The man of the moment, Bob Edwards, responds to messages from friends and colleagues who paid tribute to his work.