1898 - Born 24 June at Lontova, Province of Viru, Estonia, into a family prominent in politics and public service.

1917 - Attended Nicolai Gymnasium, a semi-classical high school. Graduated as laureat with the Gold Medal.

- Attended Moscow University.

- War service, enlisted as a artillery cadet.

- Married Barbara Potaschko, they had one son and three daughters.

1922-1926 - Estonian State University at Tartu, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural History. Studied geology and mineralogy, graduated with the degree of Magister Mineralogiae.

1926-1930 - Estonian State University at Tartu. A post-graduate student, or "reader", in geology and mineralogy.

- Study tours to Germany, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

1927 - Correspondent of the Geological Society of Finland.

1928 - Awarded Doctor Philosopiae Naturalis

- Overseas correspondent of the Palaeontological Society of America.

1929 - Awarded Privat Docent, a degree which gave him the right to be responsible for academic teaching.

1929-1930 - Lecturer, Estonian State University at Tartu.

1930-1944 - Professor of Geology and Palaeontology, Estonian State University at Tartu.

- Director of Geological Institute and Museum.

1932-1941 - Member of the Geological Committee, Estonian Department of Mines.

- Editor of the journal Eesti Loodus.

- President of the Naturalists' Society, University of Tartu.

1937 - Member of the Danish Expedition, led by L. Koch, to north-east Greenland.

1938 - Foreign member of the Geological Society of London.

1944 - Left Estonia with his family and the retreating German forces

1945-1948 - Lived in displaced persons' camps in Germany, first at Neustadt, north of Lubeck. Organised a university for camp youths at Pinneberg, near Hamburg. Worked with Professor Serge von Bubnoff, Geotektonisches Institut der Deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin

1948 - Arrived in Melbourne , Australia, mainly due to the efforts of Curt Teichert, Senior Lecturer in Geology, University of Melbourne and Harold Raggatt, Director of the newly formed Bureau of Mineral Resources. The family initially lived in a camp Bonegilla, near Albury and subsequently with the Teichert's in Melbourne.

- Commenced work with the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Melbourne as a Geologist Grade 2.

1949 - Transferred to Canberra where he began studies on the Ordovician-Devonian Stratigraphy of the Australian Capital Territory.

1952 - Inaugural President, Commonwealth and Territories Division, Geological Society of Australia.

1955 - Naturalised as an Australian citizen.

1956-1982 - Member of International Union of Geological Sciences, Commission on Stratigraphy, Sub-commission on Cambrian Stratigraphy.

1962 - Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science

1964 - Retired as Geologist Grade 4 (Supervising Geologist) but kept an office at the Bureau of Mineral Resources and was paid to complete a number of monographs.

1965 - Clarke Memorial Lecturer, Royal Society of New South Wales.

1966 - Award of Merit, Professional Officers' Association.

1983 - Died 15 January in Canberra.