Mike Subritzky

Mike Subritzky (born June 13, 1950) is a New Zealand poet.

Life
Subritzky was born in Katikati, on the Bay of Plenty, and grew up in a mill camp on Ongare Point. He attended Saint Joseph’s Convent School and at Waihi College, but dropped out to become an apprentice at a shoe factory.

In 1968, aged 17, he enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve, and was called up for service in the Navy in 1969. In 1971 he enlisted with the Army, serving in Antarctica in 1973 and Rhodesia in 1979-1980. In 1985 he transferred to the Air Force, but a year later rejoined the the Army, where he served until his retirement in 1990.

Recognition
Subritzky was the He is the first New Zealand poet to have his war poetry read at Westminster Abbey (2004, by Lord Freyberg in 2004), and the first to be read at ANZAC Corner, Hyde Park, London (by Russell Marshall).