Anthony

Anthony held a position as Senior Demonstrator at the University of Canterbury Physics Department under Professor McClellan for 12 years.

He left to start a business involving electronic and optometric servicing for high schools, hospitals, universities and optometrists.

In parallel with this Anthony started Firework Professionals, and when this business was at suitable size sold the scientific business, and carried on with the development of Firework Professionals Ltd.

He has been in this business for over 25 years, has six full-time staff and two part-timers in Christchurch, and some 45 contractors throughout the country, and the South Pacific.

He was invited by ERMA New Zealand to become one of the first test certifiers, covering a wide range of class one firework and special effect classifications.

In 1994 he ran the international pyrotechnic seminar in New Zealand bringing in 80 people from universities, research institutes, and government agencies for a four-day seminar. There were very few New Zealanders at the conference. They principally came from Japan, China, India, USA, France, UK, Canada and Brazil. This covered an astounding range of pyrotechnics in airbags, satellite deployment, munitions research, and munitions destruction as well as entertainment pyrotechnics.

In 2004 he and his senior pyrotechnician Diccon Hughes were invited to France, where they gained second place in the International Choreographic Competition for Fireworks.

In 2006 Firework Professionals were invited to the Shanghai International Music Fireworks Festival.

In 2009 Anthony was invited to present a paper at the 11th International Symposium of Fireworks in Mexico.

Current work involves the development of user-friendly Pyro musical interfaces, pyrotechnics for theme parks, and the development of military simulation devices for an undisclosed overseas country.

While working at the University, Anthony and his partner built a 10 metre cutter for ocean cruising and later spent a year sailing the Auckland and Campbell Islands south of New Zealand and then up into the Pacific Islands.