Peter Michael Skrzynecki OAM

Order of Australia

The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...

, (ˈskʂɨnɛtski; born 6 April 1945 in Germany) is an Australian poet of Polish/Ukrainian origin.
Skrzynecki came to Australia with his parents in 1949, as a refugee from "the sorrow / Of northern wars" ("Crossing the Red Sea"). This voyage – a four-week-long sea expedition on the General Blatchford, a converted United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 transport ship, was the basis for many of the poems in his 1975 collection, Immigrant Chronicle.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 from the University of New England

University of New England (Australia)

The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....

, and a Teachers Certificate from the Sydney Teachers College

Sydney Teachers College

The Sydney Teachers College was a tertiary education institution that trained school teachers in Sydney, Australia. It existed from 1906 until 1981, when it became a part of the Sydney Institute of Education which in turn joined the Faculty of Education at the University of Sydney in...

.
Skrzynecki has taught various courses relating to literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

, including English Studies, American Literature, Australian Literature and Creative Writing.