Celebrating Fifty Years of Archaeology-Remembering Past Staff: Michael Moon

Mike Moon was born in 1938 in Durban. He completed his schooling at Kearsney College before being employed at Sterns Jewellers. He retired early to pursue his interest in archaeology and wildlife and assisted the then Natal Parks Board and Natal Museum in various fieldwork exercises. He monitored several developments that occurred in and around Durban, and as a result, he discovered many archaeological sites, which he recorded and photographed. Mike Moon joined the South African Archaeological Society in 1981, shortly after his first contact with the Natal Museum archaeologists. He was a team member on the excavation of Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter. He participated in the initial archaeological survey of the Inanda Dam Basin in 1983 and played a key role in the ensuing archaeological rescue project. Moon excavated a pit containing some 90 vessels in 1985. He reconstructed some, which were exhibited at the Jack Heath Gallery at what was then the University of Natal. Moon passed away on 16 January 2021 and his collection is housed in the KwaZulu-Natal Museum.