Lynton McHardie Berry was born on 19 August 1922 at Wellington, New Zealand; his father was Leonard James Berry, a business manager, and his mother was Gertrude Elaine Lawry, the daughter of a Minister of Religion. He was educated at Hataitai School, Rongatai College, and then entered Victoria University, Wellington, at the age of 16 1/2 years. His academic experience, so apparent to his classmates and teachers at the Otago Medical School, was reflected in the awards he won which included a senior scholarship in medicine in 1942, the Scott Medal for anatomy and the Christie Prize for applied anatomy. He qualified in 1945 and then held appointments as anatomy demonstrator in Dunedin, house surgeon and surgical registrar, Wellington Hospital Board. He married Ethel May Roberts of Dannevirke in 1948 and they had three sons. He travelled to England for further training and held posts as senior surgical registrar at St Mary's Hospital, Plaistow, 1950-1951 and orthopaedic registrar at Gravesend and Rochester Hospital in 1952. He obtained the FRCS in 1951 and later the FRACS. On returning to New Zealand Lynton Berry was appointed superintendent and surgeon to the Hawera Hospital Board, holding this post from 1952 to 1963. He gave distinguished service during this period which included a surgical service to the people of South Taranaki, long remembered. In 1963 he was appointed medical superintendent-in-chief to the North Canterbury Board where major developments occurred including the transfer of psychiatric hospitals to the control of hospital boards, setting up a clinical school of medicine in Christchurch and extending hospital board services into the community. To this position, largely administrative, Lynton Berry brought a first class brain, prodigious capacity for memory and an exemplary code of conduct. He showed an innate kindness and humane approach to everyone he encountered. He never allowed any disagreements over work to interfere with personal relationships. His interests were wide and included hockey and bowls and at various times he was a New Zealand hockey umpire, President of the New Zealand Hockey Association and President of the Elmwood Bowling Club in Christchurch. A major pastime was playing contract bridge and he had a long association with Rotary. Office-bearing was also a feature of his membership of the New Zealand Medical Superintendents' Association, serving on various committees and as President for a term. He had a lifelong interest and talent for music. He died on 15 April 1979 aged 57 years.