Fred Binns was an orthopaedic surgeon in Hobart, Tasmania. He was born in Sydney, the son of William and Dorothy Binns. Initially the family was based in Grenfell, New South Wales, where Fred's father had a busy dental practice, but they moved back to Sydney when Fred was 10 years old. He attended Sydney Grammar and then went on to Sydney University, where he studied medicine, qualifying in 1962. He was an anatomy demonstrator at the university for two years while he was a resident; in his second year he decided on a career as an orthopaedic surgeon. He became a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1967. In 1969 he moved to the UK, where he worked at the Mount Gould Orthopaedic Hospital in Plymouth. In 1970 he gained his FRCS. He then spent two years at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, London. In 1972 he returned Sydney to complete his orthopaedic training at the Royal North Shore Hospital. He then moved to Hobart after a good friend, Lindsay Wing, assured him there was a need for another orthopaedic surgeon. Fred rapidly built up significant public and private practices, which he continued until his retirement in 2003. He brought with him the then novel concept of rigid internal fixation of fractures and early joint mobilisation: he carried the appropriate instruments around in the boot of his Porsche. He was, for a time, head of the orthopaedic department at the Royal Hobart Hospital and served as the Tasmanian representative on the council of the Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA). He enjoyed lecturing in orthopaedics to students at the medical school of Tasmania and was, along with others, responsible for training registrars on the AOA programme. He is remembered by colleagues as a well-dressed man, with a suit and waistcoat, a pipe and a neatly maintained beard. He was known to resort to his pipe and ubiquitous cups of coffee during delays in proceedings and in his many consulting sessions. Fred was an exceptional surgeon, well-liked by his colleagues, patients and, of course, his theatre staff. It is alleged that he was amongst their favourites, which is just as well given the length of his operating lists. For an orthopaedic surgeon he was remarkably patient and equally even tempered. He never appeared to be flustered; he was the epitome of a surgeon in control, who knew what he was doing. From an early age he had a keen interest in cars, starting when he was given a Reo. During his university days, he was an accomplished racing car driver. He was a member of the MG Car Club and won many trials and hill climbs, and a member of the Tasmanian Go-Kart Club and raced his own go-kart. Fred was also a keen follower of Formula 1. Fred inherited his love of sailing from his father, who built a boat called *Molar*. In Hobart Fred continued his love of boats. He and his wife Di sailed in local yacht races and eventually competed in a couple of Sydney to Hobart events. Not only did he love sailing, but he also enjoyed doing the regular maintenance jobs and generally 'messing about' in his various boats. He was a member of the Royal Tasmanian Yacht Club for many years. Eventually boating gave way to caravanning. Fred and Di undertook numerous trips to the mainland and also a yearly pilgrimage to Stewarts Bay, Tasmania, with their family. Fred retired in 2003. Following open heart surgery in 2006, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. His health slowly declined over the next few years, requiring Di to give up her work as a nurse to care for him. Fred Binns died on 7 September 2013, aged 74, and was survived by Di, his wife of almost 25 years, children Nigel and Anneli, step-daughters Louise and Shona, and their families.