Wyn Beasley, with incredible power of observation and memory, and placing great value on intellectual curiosity, acquired an encyclopaedic knowledge of a broad range of subjects. Traversing both arts and sciences he could readily be described as a polymath. Even though he was a very capable musician

Kevin Francis King was an orthopaedic surgeon in Melbourne, Australia. He was born in St Kilda, Melbourne, the third child of Thomas King, one of the first recognised orthopaedic surgeons in the city. His mother was Nina Mary King née Keyes, the daughter of an Irish general practitioner based in the

Neville Howard Morgan was born on 9 December 1910, in Brisbane, the son of Dr T Howard Morgan who was born in Milford Haven, Wales, and became the senior surgeon of the Brisbane General Hospital. Neville was educated at Scots College, Warwick, and Brisbane Grammar School where he won an open Scholar

Alun Iorwerth Rhydderch was born in Dronfield, near Derby, in 1918, but in 1926 the family emigrated to Australia. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School, of which he was dux in 1935. He went to Sydney University where he graduated in medicine. After two years as resident medical officer at the Pr

Jim Ellis was an orthopaedic surgeon in Sydney, Australia. He was born in Rylstone, New South Wales, in 1922, the second of five children of Ashley Ellis and his wife, Flora Ellis née Morrison. Ashley worked in many jobs, then became a stock inspector. Flora had been a teacher and, after Ashley reti

Few if any have had as great an impact on Australian orthopaedic surgery as had Tom Taylor. 'TKFT' was born in Sydney in 1932, the son of Dr Charles and Mrs Dot Taylor of Bondi. In 1941, when invasion by the Japanese appeared possible, Tom's education (on a scholarship at Sydney Grammar School) was

Henry Vernon Crock (known as Harry) was a pioneering Australian spinal surgeon. He was born in Perth, Western Australia on 14 September 1929, the son of Vernon Crock and Annie Crock née Doyle. He studied medicine at the University of Melbourne with his identical twin brother Gerard William Crock, wh

Ronald Lawrie Huckstep was the inaugural professor of trauma and orthopaedic surgery at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and before that at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. He was born in Chefoo, China, on 22 July 1926. His father, Herbert George Huckstep, was appointed dir

Ian Harris was surgeon to the government of Brunei. He was born in Adelaide in 1920. His father had emigrated from Scotland, and Ian himself felt profoundly Scottish. He interrupted his medical studies to join the Royal Navy during the second world war. In the North Sea and later in the Mediterranea

Son of a pastoralist, Donald Wallace Fleming ("Don" or sometimes "Walt" to his friends) was born in Carnarvon 2 January 1917. He attended the local primary School in Carnarvon then Guildford Grammar School in Perth, completing his schooling in 1934. In those days, to do medicine it was necessary