Jan Leembruggen was born in Queensland on 12 February 1920, the son of a Methodist Minister. He was educated at Invermay State School and Launceston High School in Tasmania and spent the final school years, from 1932-1938 at Wesley College, Melbourne where he gained its highest distinction. He then entered the University and while at Queen's College he was elected president of the Sports and Social Club and did extremely well at both cricket and football. Unfortunately, shortly after he commenced his clinical course he suffered a severe head injury from a fast rising cricket-ball, and this held him back for a considerable time. However, he graduated in 1945 and spent the next two years in resident appointments at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. For the next seven years, between 1947 and 1954, he was in general practice in a small country town in Victoria, but, though he was successful and popular with his patients, he had always wished to specialize in surgery and therefore came to England and took the FRCS both of Edinburgh and England in 1956. On his return to Australia he again avoided the city and settled in a single-handed practice in Shepparton, and his skill combined with personal consideration for the care of his patients so increased his work that he took first just one partner to share it, but by 1963 the group had expanded to include a surgeon, a physician and an anaesthetist, and, by agreement with his colleagues, Jan himself became a whole-time consultant surgeon at the Mooroopna Base Hospital. He ultimately became the Chairman of the Hospital Board of Management, and of the local branch of the Australian Medical Association. His friends in Melbourne were well aware of his excellent service to the hospital and the local community, and of his contribution to the training of young surgeons. The Royal Australasian College intended to elect him to the Fellowship, a plan which fell through because of his sudden and untimely death on 14 November 1972 at the early age of 52, which robbed his colleagues of a friend whom they valued very highly for his talents which he used to the full for the benefit of his fellow men. His wife and his three children, two daughters and a son, survived him.