From there, he went to Africa and was Michael Cardew’s first western student in Abuja in Nigeria. These overseas periods were a source of inspiration for his work. Stichbury set up the pottery department at Ardmore Teachers College.
His pottery was given to Queen Elizabeth II during her 1974 royal tour to New Zealand.
While Stichbury is mostly known for his pottery he also built musical string instruments (cellos, violas) in his later years. The work of Stichbury was honoured by exhibitions at the Auckland Museum in 2004 and the New Zealand National Museum Te Papa in 2011/12.