I first met Michael Milburn in May 1982 when I reviewed an exhibition at his newly opened Milburn Galleries at Woolloongabba on Brisbane's southside. lt was Michael's first show at the Gallery and, coincidentally, it was also my first review as Queensland art writer for the Australian. While our paths in the arts have crossed and diverged many times since then, I always feel a sense of connection that, in some way, that was a decisive career point for both of us. In fact, the gallery at Woolloongabba was Michael's second exhibition space. While it marked the 'official beginning of the Milburn Galleries', his first space was a gallery/studio which he had opened in 1981 at Red Hill.4 At the time he was a twenty year-old architecture student. From these beginnings, the Milburn Galleries grew to become one of Brisbane's leading commercial galleries showing the work of contemporary artists. The Gallery moved a number of times: to Paddington, to the Brisbane CBD, to Petrie Terrace and most recently to New Farm. For some years from the late '80s Michael also ran the Milburn + Arte gallery, Sydney, with Bill Gregory. Milburn Galleries made a vital contribution to the arts in Queensland. Michael gave numerous artists an opportunity to exhibit, brought work to Brisbane which would otherwise not have been seen by audiences here, and was willing to show the work of emerging and less established artists. While there are many more spaces for artists to exhibit in Queensland now, in the early '80s this was not the case, and very few younger artists had the opportunity to exhibit at all, let alone in a professionally run gallery. Michael recognised the... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline