He boarded at Gatton College in 1953–1954 where he took his Junior Certificate, and completed his senior studies at Southport State High School.
[2] He continued his study toward a PhD, taking this in 1973 with a thesis on the Stratigraphy, skeletal morphology and evolution of the Upper Cainozoic and recent Macropodidae of Queensland.
Despite the difficulties of balancing this job with research, he maintained a steady interest in Cretaceous fish faunas of the Great Artesian Basin and published eleven papers on this topic.
[2] He sought to employ professional staff with science and curatorial backgrounds and help the Museum build visitor numbers by revitalising displays.
[2] The Museum was also moved to the South Bank Cultural Centre Precinct in 1985, as it had outgrown its previous location in Fortitude Valley near the Brisbane Exhibition show grounds.
He was a member of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, the Lizard Island Research Committee (Australian Museum) and a past President of the Royal Society of Queensland.