John Allwood McHardy was a neurosurgeon and chief medical officer of health in Jamaica. Known as Johnny to his family and friends, he was born in Jamaica, in Montego Bay, St James on 24 August 1926, the only son of Nathan Ralph McHardy, an assistant commissioner of lands, and Melaine Estelle McHardy née Baugh. He grew up in a Christian family, where he learnt his strong commitment to public service. He attended Mount Alvernia and Cornwall College in Montego Bay and, when his family relocated to Kingston, at Jamaica College. After leaving school, he taught for a short time (between 1944 to 1946) at DeCartenet College and Cornwall College, then gained a Government half-scholarship to Selwyn College, Cambridge and qualified as a doctor. On his return to Jamaica, he entered Government service. He served as a medical officer between 1952 and 1959, at the Black River Hospital, Kingston Public Hospital and also in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In 1960, he went back to the UK, where he trained in neurosurgery. He was a registrar at National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Maida Vale, London and the South East Neurosurgical Centre between 1964 and 1966. During the same period, he gained his fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and of Edinburgh. In 1967 he returned to Jamaica, as a consultant neurosurgeon to Kingston Public Hospital. He became a senior medical officer there in 1974 and principal medical officer of health in 1977. From 1981 to 1988, he was chief medical officer of health and was subsequently a technical advisor for major public projects in the Ministry of Health until his retirement. He then continued to serve as registrar of the Medical Council until 2006. He received many honours, including, in 1976, the Jamaican Order of Distinction – Commander Class, the Kingston Public Hospital senior medical officer’s award (in 1994), the Association of Surgeons award in 1995, the University of the West Indies’ department of surgery award in 2003 and the Medical Association’s award in 2007. In 2009, he was honoured at the Caribbean Neurosciences Symposium. Outside medicine he enjoyed classic music and playing tennis with his friends on Saturday afternoons.