Nugent Elliot Brand was born in Lismore, New South Wales on 1 August 1919, the son of Albert Elliot Brand, a pharmacist, and his wife Margaret Helen, née Cottee. His early education was at Lismore High School and he later went to St Andrew's College in the University of Sydney to study medicine. He qualified with honours in 1941. After house appointments he married Margaret Opie, a physiotherapist who was the daughter of Dr Archelaus J Opie, FRACS, and shortly afterwards was commissioned into the Australian Army Medical Corps as captain. He served for four years and was mentioned in despatches in 1943. After demobilisation, he was appointed honorary medical officer in general practice at Lismore Base Hospital until 1953, when he came to England for postgraduate study. He held appointments at St Thomas's Hospital and Doncaster Royal Infirmary and passed the FRCS examination in 1955. After returning to Australia he was appointed surgeon to Lismore Base Hospital and St Vincent's Hospital, Lismore, later serving as honorary medical superintendent to both these hospitals. He passed the FRACS in 1962 and in later life acquired an interest in the early detection of malignant disease. In 1982 he was appointed medical co-ordinator of the Rotary Community Service project 'Bowelscan' for the early diagnosis of bowel cancer and nine years later was Chairman of the National Committee of this organisation. In 1991 he was appointed a member of the steering committee to establish a mammography screening service in New South Wales. His services to the community were acknowledged in 1986 by the grant of 'Citizen of the Year Award' at Lismore. His hobbies were tennis (he had been a tennis blue at university), golf and fishing. He died on 20 June 1995 survived by his wife and three children: Susan Crossley (a teacher at the International School in Amsterdam), Elizabeth (a marketing manager) and Peter (a property development consultant).