John Bors was born in Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia, on 27 October 1912. His father, Herbert Kaspar Bors, came from a German family that emigrated from Hanover in around 1840 and settled as farmers in Mount Gambier in 1842. At the time of John's birth his father was chairman and owner of Ingot Metals Australia. His mother was Alice Peele, née Allen. John was the only son, but his cousin, Frank Howard Bors, was also an FRCS. He was educated at Chatswood School, Tudor House School, Barker College and St Paul's College, Sydney. After house jobs at the Prince Henry and Royal North Shore Hospitals, he went to Manchester to specialise in surgery and completed registrar posts at Manchester Northern Hospital, Crumpsall Hospital, and the Whiston County Hospital. There he served in the Emergency Medical Service during the air raids. After the war he returned to Australia, as clinical assistant at the Royal Prince Alfred, Prince Henry and Royal Melbourne Hospitals, and was appointed honorary surgeon to Geelong Hospital. In 1952, on his father's death, he became chairman of Ingot Metals and remained there until the company was sold. He married Kathleen Merton, née Richards, by whom he had two daughters Angela Virginia (later Mrs Lucas then Jackson) and Veronica Anne (later Mrs Taubman - transcribed from mss cv form) who both became executive secretaries. A keen skier and surfer, he died on 4 February 2002 of emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis. Ever proud of his FRCS, he was dressed in the College robes for his funeral. He was survived by his family which by then included 4 grandchildren; Theodosia and Patrick Lucas and Christian and Justin Taubman.