This is the story of Michael Danckwerts, a footloose young Australian who had long dreamed of India. It tells of how he pursued and achieved his dream and, at the same time, fulfilled his own personal potential before his sudden and tragic death on 3 November 2002, at the age of 27.
This web site has been established by his father, who also supplies the narrative, as a memorial and a tribute to a truly wonderful guy. Much of the story is told by Michael himself from his emails and letters to his family and friends. Much more has been added by those he met on his travels.
A separate page of Tributes to Michael is included in this website.
This website includes many of the magnificent photographs that Michael took on his last journey. Nearly all of the images on this site are from Michael’s own camera.
Visitors are invited to talk about Michael, or to correspond to his family, or to comment about this web site via email to cdanckwerts@hotmail.com.
On 3 November 2003, the anniversary of Michael’s death, a new page was added to this website. This is a remembrance of his life in retrospect.
In late January 2004 Michael’s family made the journey to Rishikesh, in northern India, a special place for him, to release his ashes to the Ganges river there. Click here for an account of this journey.
Profile
Michael was born in Sydney on 3 February 1975, the first of two sons to Chris and Annette Danckwerts. As a youngster he was an average student but excelled at individual sports. At university he pursued his own interests rather than study for a career, his studies and reading including Sanskrit, comparative religion, anthropology and philosophy. At the same time he developed a passion for yoga, Buddhism and meditation which were to shape the rest of his life. After university he took a number of casual jobs as he saved towards his goal of travelling and studying yoga in India.
In person, Michael was tall, lean, athletic and very healthy. He was good looking, charming, impulsive, generous and funny. He was always great company in any situation. He loved life and was totally without malice towards others. He had many short term relations with women but never any long term commitments. He had tremendous natural talent in writing, music and photography. In his outlook on life he was daring and adventurous, preferring to live on the edge rather than take the safe option. There was a deeply private and spiritual side to him, too, in his yoga studies, Buddhist retreats and long hours of meditation.
Although he had many friends he was very much an individualist rather than one of the crowd. He preferred to do things on his own, and that is how he mostly lived and travelled.
And so it was, on the evening of 6 July 2001, that he farewelled his family at Sydney Airport and, with his backpack and camera, took off for Delhi. . .
This website is dedicated to Michael’s late mother Annette, his brother Peter and to his nephews that he never met (Peter’s sons) Leo Michael Danckwerts (born 2011) and Miles August Danckwerts (born 2015).
May Leo and Miles, as they read through this website, feel the same sense of wonder at the amazing variety of what the world has to offer and at the love for all of mankind that their late uncle so vividly shows in these pages.
Next Chapter: Delhi
Michael's Story 