James Crowe Davidson Mill was a surgeon in Elizabeth, South Australia. He was born in Croydon, the son of James Mill and Rita Crowe. The family eventually emigrated to Australia, and Mill finished his education at St Peter's College, Adelaide. He started studying medicine at the University of Adelai

John Neophyton was not only a lifelong family friend but he was my mentor. 'Dr John Neo', as he was affectionately called, was a university colleague and one of the best and closest friends of my father Andrew, so I have known John and his family all my life. My earliest memory was when I was a you

Born in Melbourne in 1888, he was educated at Wesley College and Melbourne University. After qualification he became resident medical officer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in 1910 and medical superintendent 1912-14. In 1914 he was appointed surgeon to out-patients and in 1927 surgeon to in-patient

Eric Langley was born in Melbourne in 1910, his father having been a member of the staff of the Alfred Hospital. He was educated at Melbourne Grammar School, and graduated in medicine at Melbourne University in 1933, having had a good academic record and done well in athletics. He then held a junior

Claude Organ was a distinguished American surgeon and the second African-American President of the American College of Surgeons. He was born in 1927 in Marshall, Texas, and educated at Terrell High School, Denison, and then Xavier University, Louisiana. Denied acceptance to the University of Texas o

Murray Pheils was professor of surgery at the University of Sydney. He was born in Birmingham on 2 December 1917, the younger of the two sons of Elmer Theodore Pheils, an osteopath, and Lilian Mary née Cole. His father Elmer was a colourful character: he was born in Toledo, Ohio, and trained as an o

Paul Large was a general surgeon in Durban, South Africa, and then in Melbourne, Australia. He was born in Beira, Mozambique, on 12 August 1920, but was brought up in Durban. He was educated at Michaelhouse, a rural boarding school in Natal, and then, in 1938, went to the UK to study medicine at Guy

Patrick Francis O’Dwyer was a surgeon in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He was born on 9 December 1926 in Toowoomba, Queensland, the son of Edward and Catherine O’Dwyer, and was brought up in humble circumstances in Harristown on the outskirts of Toowoomba. O’Dwyer was educated at Newtown State Sc

Peter Catts was a general surgeon in New South Wales, Australia. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales on 12 April 1940, the son of Stanley Victor Catts and Vera Jean Catts née Reynolds. He went to the UK for surgical training and gained his FRCS in 1967. He then returned to Australia, where h

Anthony Oliver Robertson was a consultant general surgeon based in Tamworth, New South Wales.

Few surgeons lived their lives as fully as Desmond Albert Cooper, Dr Des. He was an astonishingly good surgeon, a fine man and a man of many talents. As my son said ‘The Doc was funny, generous, kind, helpful, clever, and friendly and a great sailor and a good fisherman.’ Before he died we chatt

Kevin Bridson Orr was born in Balmain, Sydney on 17 July 1927, the son of Clarence Montague Orr and his wife Vera Ruth née Bridson. He studied medicine at Sydney University and qualified in 1950. From 1950 to 1951 he was resident medical officer at the Grafton Base Hospital in Grafton, New South Wal