Peter Blaxland was very much a family man, with a warm and welcoming manner and an appreciation of the simple pleasures of life. These characteristics concealed a considerable intellectual ability, and gave no hint of his understanding of the problems of surgery, and his gifts, both innate and cultivated, of dealing with them. He liked to reduce problems to their simplest terms, and strongly disliked any form of pretentious obfuscation. Though seldom seen to be immersed in reading, he was very well informed in a wide range of surgical topics, and these qualities, as well as his natural patience and a great willingness to help others, made him a natural teacher. Born on 5 September 1915 in Aldershot, son of Edward Blaxland, a commercial artist, and his wife Emmie Kirkland, he went to Aldershot High School, and from there won a scholarship to St Mary's Hospital Medical School, qualifying with the conjoint diploma in 1939. Among his teachers was Arthur Dickson Wright, and perhaps his interest in a wide field of surgery, his wide familiarity with the literature and his preference for practical application owed something to that distinguished teacher. It was inevitable that he would swiftly enter the armed forces, and he was commissioned in the RAF, serving for five and a half years in the Middle East and Italy as a medical officer, rising to the rank of Squadron Leader and being mentioned in despatches. He came back and sat the MB BS in 1946, passing with honours. Two years later he passed the FRCS and proceeded to widen his surgical experience with appointments at Great Ormond Street (1950-52) and the Royal Southampton Hospital (1952-3). He then migrated to Australia with his family, his first appointment being that of staff surgeon at Darwin Hospital (1953-6). In 1957 he joined a surgical practice in Canberra and Queanbeyan, becoming a leader in surgery at the Royal Canberra Hospital. His practice included general and paediatric surgery, urology, orthopaedics and plastic surgery. His reputation for wise judgement and great technical ability meant that he was kept very busy, but he was one to get through a great deal of work without fuss and flurry. He was able to manage a heavy professional workload and still find time for teaching, for commitments in the community and above all for his family. His main interests were gardening, cooking, soccer, travelling and bridge, and in his youth he played water polo. He died on 8 January 1996 aged 80, survived by his wife, Joan, whom he had married in 1940, and his children - Christopher, a solicitor, Wendy, a social worker, and Jennifer, a librarian.