Norman St. Clair Mulhearn was born in Broadwater, on the Richmond River, on 18 September 1898. After attending Fort Street Boys' High School he went to Sydney University to study medicine, graduating in 1921. After working at Sydney Hospital and the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children he entered private practice in Bellingen, New South Wales. In 1929 he travelled to England and passed the FRCS in 1930. He received his Australian Fellowship in 1946. He returned to Bellingen for two years and then moved to Grafton where he remained for the rest of his life practising until 1961 with the Grafton Private Clinic and then working as School Medical Officer with the Department of Education. 'Mul', as he was known, was one of the pioneers of decentralised specialist surgery. He was a gifted surgeon who brought great skills to rural areas. He was also an excellent teacher and took a keen interest in his students. A man of great dignity, charm and ease of manner, he was interested in people from all walks of life and had a special love for children. Outside of medicine he was a skilled cabinet maker and furniture restorer. He was a good all-round sportsman, particularly fond of fishing, tennis, cricket and golf. He had a pilot's licence and for a time flew his own plane. A lover of horse racing, he served on the committees of the South Grafton Jockey Club and the Clarence River Jockey Club and was made a life member of both. He died on 8 December 1981 after a long illness, survived by his wife, Audrey, and a son and a daughter, both living in Sydney.