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

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

Born in 1902 at New Plymouth, New Zealand, he was educated at Auckland Grammar School and Otago University, Dunedin, graduating in 1924. After holding resident posts at Auckland Hospital in 1925-26, he spent 1927 as a Government medical officer in Levuka, one of the Fiji Islands. He came to England

Kenneth Richard Archer was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 6 November 1915. His father, John Albert Archer, was in the New Zealand Public Works Department, and his mother, Elsie Mary, was a secretary and housewife. He was educated at Belmont Primary School in Auckland, and then Takapuna Grammar Sc

Allan Smith was director of surgery at Nambour Hospital, Queensland. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia on 6 May 1951, the son of Pauline and Frank Smith. Allan was an only child and spent his formative first years growing up in the community of Dublin, South Australia, just outside of Adelaid

Gordon Ormandy was a general surgeon in Adelaide, South Australia. He passed the fellowship of the college in 1960 and was appointed surgeon at a hospital in Broken Hill, New South Wales in 1964. Eleven years later, in 1975, he moved to Adelaide with his wife Joy and their four children. He retired

Kevin Chambers was a consultant surgeon in Mildura, Victoria, Australia. He grew up in Sydney, the youngest of three children of Raymond John Chambers and Margaret Scott Chambers née Brown. His father Ray was the first professor of accounting at Sydney University. His work on accounting attracted ci

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

Arthur Pinkerton Crawford, the son of Andrew Pinkerton Crawford, a doctor, and his wife Lilian Mary, née Donnelly, was born on 22 September 1923 at Caboolture, Queensland, Australia. At the age of ten he spent a year confined to bed as a result of polio and was educated at the Church of England Gram

David Skeffington Johnson's forebears were notably medical. His father Alex Johnson was a well-known surgeon on the staff of Prince Alfred Hospital. St Ignatius College, Riverview was the school where he was dux; excelling in Latin and Greek. As well he was runner-up in the Cooper Scholarship Exa

Lynton McHardie Berry was born on 19 August 1922 at Wellington, New Zealand; his father was Leonard James Berry, a business manager, and his mother was Gertrude Elaine Lawry, the daughter of a Minister of Religion. He was educated at Hataitai School, Rongatai College, and then entered Victoria Unive