Australian academic and maritime archaeologist, Michael McCarthy (b. 1947), was in kinship care, institutions and foster care as a child. When he was 2-weeks old, Michael McCarthy was taken in by Frances May, his aunt and half-sister to his mother, 15 year old Elizabeth. He became Michael Phillip May and was raised as her son and brother to Frances’ daughter. 5 years later Frances took Michael to a Father Hudson’s home because her husband was ill. When she went to collect the child, Frances was told he’d been sent out to Australia. Frances tried for 5 years to regain custody of Michael, to no avail, in part because she was not the child’s legal guardian. It wasn’t until 1993 that Frances met up with the then 46-year-old Michael.

In Australia, Michael started out in St Vincent’s Foundling Home in Subiaco, Perth. From St Vincent’s he was transferred to Castledare Orphanage before he was fostered by Tom and Irene Gollop. Michael went on to become a sports teacher and from there he became a curator at the Maritime Museum in Fremantle.