David Stanley Leitch was born in Leeton, New South Wales, on 9 January 1923, the son of John Stanley Leitch, a farmer and grazier and Marian, née Killen. He was educated at All Saints' College, Bathurst, New South Wales and at St Andrew's College, Sydney University, before joining the Australian Army from 1942 to 1945 serving as a trooper and later as acting Corporal. He participated in the Papuan Campaign of 1942, the Ramu Valley Campaign in 1943-44 and the Bouganville Campaign of 1944-45. After demobilisation he entered medical school at Sydney, qualifying in 1950 and undertook junior appointments at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, and the Repatriation Hospital, Concord, New South Wales. He came to England for further postgraduate work in 1957 working at Birmingham Accident Hospital under Mr Peter London and later at Cheltenham General Hospital. In 1959 he passed the FRCS England, the FRCS Edinburgh and on his return home the FRACS. He was appointed consultant surgeon to the Armidale and New England Hospital, New South Wales, in the same year and continued to work there until his death on 18 January 1988 aged 64. He married in 1952 and is survived by his widow, two sons and three daughters.