Frederick Furkert was born on 8 December 1906 and educated at Scots College, Wellington. He became Dux of the school and won a University entrance scholarship in 1923 to Otago Medical School. Qualifying in 1928, he was a house surgeon for two years at the Wellington Hospital. After a short time in practice at Canterbury, he came to London for postgraduate experience. He returned to New Zealand in 1935 and was appointed surgical registrar at Auckland Hospital. In the second world war he served with the New Zealand forces in the Middle East, and was the first Commanding Officer of the Mobile Surgical Unit. He then commanded the Sixth Field Ambulance, and for a while was ADMS with the rank of Colonel. After his return in 1943 to New Zealand he entered private practice at Auckland and established himself as one of the city's leading surgeons. He was President of the New Zealand branch of the BMA in 1959, when the Annual Meeting of the parent body was held at Auckland. For many years he worked for the RACS, and was elected in 1949 to the New Zealand Committee, of which he was chairman in 1958-59, and was elected to the Council of the College in 1960. He was a dedicated man and worked hard in the interests of private hospitals. For more than twelve years he was Chairman of the directors of one of Auckland's larger private hospitals, and was a founder of the Southern Cross Medical Care Society. Furkert was a member of the Northern Club, of Rotary, and of the Auckland Golf Club, and surgeon to the Auckland Racing Club. He was a keen angler, who enjoyed annual visits to Taupo. Direct, uncompromising, and entirely consistent, he was ideally suited for the many committee posts he filled. As a house surgeon at an understaffed Wellington Hospital he won an endurance contest by remaining continually on casualty duty for 72 hours. Furkert practised at 1 Gilgit Road, Auckland, and died on 4 October 1964, survived by his wife and children.