Richard Wingate emigrated from England to Australia in his late 30s to continue a career in ophthalmology which started at Moorfields Eye Hospital. After completing his Australian ophthalmic training at the Sydney Eye Hospital, he became a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists in 1992. He worked in Sydney, Gulgong in regional NSW, Bathurst and Katoomba. He had a wide clinical practice with a sub-specialist interest in medical retinal diseases. His clinics included high volumes of fluorescein angiography, retinal laser treatments and later intravitreal injections. He was also involved in the Aboriginal medical outreach program called Thubbo, which provided medical retinal services to the aboriginal community in Dubbo. He was involved in the Myanmar Eye Care Program and contributed to the work of the clinic in diagnosing and treating conditions rarely encountered in Australia. His upbringing in post-Second World War Central Africa, where his father worked as a government medical officer, had provided him with useful first-hand experience in tropical medicine. Other medical interests included hyperbaric medicine after a spell as a medical officer in the Royal Navy aboard HMS *Reclaim*. He trained in naval deep-sea diving, so that he could better understand the conditions encountered by his diver patients. He was an aviation medical examiner and assisted with the formulation of the current visual standards for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Richard Wingate was also a clinical lecturer to Sydney University medical students in alcohol and drug dependency: he was suited for this role, having overcome dependencies of his own. His death was due to cancer, which he described as at last a misfortune he had not caused himself. At school in Malvern College in England, he showed ability in music and singing, which at one stage were career options. This interest was lifelong, and he became a patron to up-and-coming young Australian composers. A work he commissioned shortly before his death was played at his funeral.