Donald Golinger was a consultant surgeon at the Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia. He was born in Perth in 1930. His father, Nathan Golinger, was a tailor; his mother was Rosa Golinger née Hertz. Golinger studied medicine at the University of Western Australia and then at the University of Adelaide, qualifying in 1955. He was first violinist in the State Youth Orchestra and gained a half blue at soccer while at the University of Adelaide. He was a resident medical officer and then a registrar at the Royal Perth Hospital, and then went to the UK for further training. He was a registrar to Sir Eric Riches at St Andrew’s Hospital, Bromley-by-Bow, London, and then a registrar at the Whittington Hospital. While at St Andrew’s Hospital he gained his fellowships of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In 1965 he returned to the Royal Perth Hospital and, in 1968, was appointed to the clinical staff as a surgeon. His special interest was in renal transplantation; he was involved in the preliminary research and, in 1967, participated as a surgeon in the first renal transplant performed in Western Australia. He was a clinical associate professor at the University of Western Australia and a member of the postgraduate medical education committee there. He was chairman and head of the department of general surgery from 1985 to 1987 and 1991 to 1994, and chairman of the division of surgery from 1987 to 1990. From 1987 to 1990 he was a member of the medical advisory committee. He was also foundation chairman of the inter hospital renal transplantation service and foundation chairman of the multidisciplinary breast service. He retired in 1995. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005 ‘for service to medicine, particularly through the introduction of training programs in dental surgery and the establishment of multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment services for breast disease’. Golinger’s published papers included ‘The management of urinary fistulae following cadaveric renal transplantation’ (*Br J Urol*. 1975 Aug;47[4]:371-5) and ‘Renal transplantation. 12-year experience’ (*Med J Aust*. 1981 Feb 7;1[3]:123-6). He was an honorary medical officer and life member of the East Perth Football Club, an Australian rules football club, and also took a keen interest in golf and offshore fishing. In 1959 Golinger married Wendy Faye Finkelstein. They had three children, one son and two daughters. He died on 17 September 2014.