Colin Skelton was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 31 March 1935 and educated at Christchurch West High School and Otago Medical School. After house appointments at Christchurch Hospital and Grey Hospital, Greymouth, he became surgical registrar at Christchurch Hospital and then came to England for higher surgical training, with a particular interest in vascular surgery, which included a spell as registrar at the Whittington Hospital. He returned to Christchurch as surgical tutor in 1968 and was appointed general and vascular surgeon to the Northland Base Hospital, Whangarei, in 1972. In 1978 he became coordinator of surgical services under the former Northland Area Health Board. He became FRACS in 1980. He served for twelve years on the Executive Committee of the New Zealand Medical Association, and played a very active part in its committees. A cheerful man with enormous energy, he built up a very large private practice, but had time for his hobbies - cooking (to *cordon bleu* standard), wood and metal working, and music. He had two daughters by his wife Robyn, who survived him. He died aged 58 on 3 January 1994, following a road accident.