Alan Anderson was senior surgeon at Wellington Hospital, New Zealand. He was born in Wellington on 28 May 1926. His father, Ewart Gordon Anderson, was a surgeon who had qualified in Durham and went to New Zealand after the end of the first world war. His mother was Elsie Craig neé Ardrey. Alan was educated at Wellesley College, Wellington, Rongetai College and Nelson College, before doing his basic sciences at Victoria University, Wellington. He did his medical training at Otago. After resident appointments at Wellington Hospital, he went to London to be resident surgical officer at the Royal Cancer, Chelmsford and Essex, and St Mark's Hospitals, and was finally senior registrar at the Westminster Hospital. He returned to Wellington Hospital, where he became senior surgeon. He was active as an examiner and an officer in the Royal Australasian College and was surgeon in chief to the St John Ambulance Brigade since 1967. He married Margaret Agnes McDonald in 1947. They had two sons, Donald Gordon and Alan John Gordon. He died on 2 May 2000.