b'PeopleNewsVale: Michael John Sexton (1952-2020)adventure rather than prestige enticed him to the more exotic destination, where a more practical rather than theoretical approach to geophysics was taken. Here he undertook his first marine geoscience survey in the Pacific Ocean on the research vessel Kana Keoki. In order to join the cruise Mike had an interesting journey from Honolulu to Valparaiso in Chile, whilst carrying a suitcase full of contraband magazines for the crew. As a young 22 year old Australian, travelling alone with no Spanish, he faced many challenges before arriving at the port to board the ship, which was rather smaller than he had imagined. Thus began Mikes long association with marine geoscience. Mike never managed to finish his Masters because there were too many more adventures to be had.Mike joined the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) in 1976 after seeing an advertisement in the paper for a geophysicists position in the Australian Antarctic Division. At the time he thought I am built for this job. He went Mike Sexton to Macquarie Island in 1977 and in 1978, Michael John Sexton, known to his former BMR/AGSO/GA colleagues as Mike, sadly passed away in October this year. Mike had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma in October 2016. Despite years of treatment, including a stem cell transplant and ongoing chemotherapy, he acquired an infection his body could not overcome and he passed away on 25 October 2020, four years to the day of his diagnosis.Mike grew up in Melbourne and attended St Bernards College in Essendon, from where he matriculated in 1969. As with most people completing secondary education at the time, knowing what to do next was a pretty daunting task, and for many Melbournians you just went and got a job somewhere and got on with suburban life. However, after being encouraged to attend a Melbourne University Open Day, Mike had the good fortune to speak with a lecturer who posed two questions: Do you have good marks in physics and maths, and do you like the outdoors? And so, a geophysicist was born!After graduating from the University of Melbourne Mike received an offer of two postgraduate scholarships: one at the Imperial College London, and another at the University of Hawaii. NaturallyMike Sexton in Kings Canyon during the 1985 BMR Central Australia seismic survey.11 PREVIEW DECEMBER 2020'