Clifton James Luke was born in Sydney, Australia, on 25 April 1925, the only son of Clive Herbert Luke, a businessman, and Dorothy May (nee Mullaney) whose father was Mayor of Goulburn, New South Wales, and whose great grandfather had been the Professor of Botany at Dublin University. His education was at St Patrick's College, Strathfield NSW and the University of Sydney, where he qualified MBBS in 1947. He was resident medical officer at St Vincent's Hospital then at Townsville Base Hospital from 1949 to 1950. After five years as the medical officer with the Department of Immigration in Rome and Athens he returned to the St George's area in 1957 to general practice. Following this wide experience he sailed to the UK to commence training in ophthalmology at Moorfield's Eye Hospital, London, where he passed his DO in 1962. In 1963 he attended the Basic Sciences course in the RCS, ensuring that his friends learnt one fact a day thoroughly. Many of these were to be tested in the subsequent Primary FRCS. He worked in the Western Ophthalmic Hospital from 1965 to 1967, passing his FRCS. Subsequently he was appointed visiting ophthalmic surgeon to the Prince of Wales Hospital and lecturer in ophthalmology at the University of New South Wales. From 1967 he was honorary assistant ophthalmic surgeon to St George's Hospital in Sydney. He regularly worked in eye camps in India arranged by the Jesuit missions. He met and married Iris Newton in Rome in 1954 and they had three daughters and one son; Caroline is a general practitioner in London; Margaret, Elizabeth and Peter are all in the paramedical professions. He was filled with a great sense of adventure, and after a small aircraft flight throughout the north of Australia and the Solomon Islands he learnt to fly. He was an active skier, yachtsman and trout fisherman throughout his life and was a great traveller. An enthusiast, he imparted this to his friends and colleagues and was always most generous to his juniors, to whom he gave considerable help during their early years of individual practice. Actively involved in local medical politics he served as President of the Illawarra Suburbs Medical Association from 1981 to 1983. In his last years he moved to Potts Point where he helped many country colleagues by relieving them as *locum tenens*. His terminal illness of repeated episodes of multiple thromboemboli of unknown aetiology lasted for three years: he maintained his usual cheerful humour, showing tremendous courage till the end. He died peacefully at the age of 66 on 6 September 1991 from melaena from ruptured oesophageal varices. Cliff was trusted by his patients, respected by his colleagues and loved by his family and many friends. He met his wife Iris in Rome and they married in 1954. Clifton James Luke died on 6 September 1991 aged 66. He was survived his wife and their four children: Caroline, Margaret, Elizabeth and Peter.