John Terblanche, head of the department of surgery at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital from 1981 to 2000, was internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading researchers on the treatment of liver diseases. He was born on 10 September 1935 in Cape Town, the son of James Wilhelm Terblanche and Hilda Blanche Terblanche née Gordon. He was educated at Grey High School and then studied medicine at the University of Cape Town, graduating MB ChB in 1958. He qualified as a surgeon in 1964 when he was awarded the Douglas gold medal as the best graduate of the year. He started his surgical career by doing pioneering laboratory and clinical research with Christiaan Barnard using the heart-lung machine and bubble oxygenator to cool patients during cardiac surgery. For this research work he was awarded a ChM with distinction in 1964 for a thesis titled ‘Profound hypothermia with extracorporeal circulation and the bubble oxygenator with special reference to application in cardiac surgery’. Applying much of this research knowledge allowed Barnard later to do the world’s first successful heart transplant in Cape Town in 1967. Success is often determined by being in the right place at the right time. In 1965 John and his young family left for the UK where, by serendipity, he worked with Joe Peacock and Ken Hobbs in Bristol. Peacock was interested in developing a pig model for experimental orthotopic liver transplantation, an arrangement which suited John perfectly. His laboratory work with Chris Barnard in Cape Town stood him in good stead and in Bristol he perfected the technique for orthotopic liver homotransplantation in Landrace swine. On his return to Cape Town, he subsequently co-founded the Medical Research Council’s Liver Research Centre in 1973 with Stuart Saunders, a position he shared later with Ralph Kirsch. This resulted in a highly productive and collaborative research partnership which produced key findings and highly cited international publications. These included the early seminal work on baboon-to-human exchange transfusion by cross circulation for fulminant hepatic failure and the discovery in pigs of dantrolene as the treatment of choice for malignant hyperthermia, later successfully applied in patients. John was appointed as a professor of surgery in 1973 and in his inaugural lecture in 1974 he gave tribute and expressed his gratitude to his mentor, the formidable and legendary incumbent chair of surgery, Jannie Louw. In the lecture he emphasised the immutable values that underpin the practice and conduct of surgery and had shaped the ethos, the moral beliefs, the culture and the code of sustained excellence in the department of surgery in Cape Town. On Louw’s retirement, John Terblanche was appointed head of the department of surgery at the University of Cape Town in 1981 at the relatively young age of 45. Larger than life and a force of nature, John was highly regarded as a clinician, researcher, surgeon and educator. Leading by example, he transformed an excellent department inherited from his predecessor into an outstanding one, equal to the finest into the world. His abiding interest in liver disease led to the establishment of a research programme which became a mecca for postgraduate liver surgery training. The worldwide reputation and standing of the unit attracted a stream of international visitors to Cape Town who later returned home as converted disciples, expounding and spreading the gospel according to Terblanche, entrenching his global reputation and legacy. His boldness and confidence allowed him to challenge conventional and orthodox teaching and the prodigious output from his strong and stable research team, of whom he demanded meticulous scientific rigour and unalloyed integrity, elevated the importance of South African liver research to an international audience. John’s own major research contributions were manifold. His academic output was prodigious and included 260 highly cited publications, 110 invited book chapters and four edited books. His most significant international contribution was the visionary and pioneering leadership he brought to the life-saving endoscopic treatment of bleeding oesophageal varices. The prospective and randomised controlled trials emanating from Cape Town revolutionised the treatment of variceal bleeding and introduced modern management methodology. The publications which ensued from these studies remain among the most cited in the history of portal hypertension. His academic oeuvre was wide and encompassed the full spectrum of hepatobiliary surgery. This included his magnum opus *Hepatobiliary malignancy* (London, Edward Arnold), a magisterial tome, published in 1994, which became the definitive work on the topic. He edited the book while on a rare sabbatical in Rennes in France with the renowned liver surgeon, Bernard Launois, who also imparted to him the French way of life, which, no doubt, included fromage and vin rouge appreciation. John Terblanche always led from the front. He imbued the division of surgery with a sense of mission and purpose, and he created the essential elements for an optimal research environment. He provided the leadership and clinical research expertise required and put a premium on learning advanced technical skills. This was achieved by establishing an effective organisational and administrative structure and he personally supervised and participated in many of the projects. A staunch and eloquent advocate for the continued support of surgical research, many benefited from his wise counsel, and he took great pride in the successes of his protégés. His personal qualities included principled and decisive leadership, inexhaustible energy and enthusiasm and a taxing work ethic in which he led from the front when lesser mortals flagged or wilted. His life was characterised by a fidelity to principle and distaste for posturing. John had charisma, common sense candour and a cerebral attention to detail. He was an ardent ambassador for South Africa and a popular speaker at international meetings for over two decades. It was always a revelation when searching for John at an international congress to find him, easily identifiable as the tall, blonde, distinguished surgeon with imposing gravitas, conversing with a large circle of admirers and devotees, all seeking his advice or approval. He had a global influence and the national and international esteem in which he was held was reflected by the award of honorary fellowships from surgical colleges and associations around the world. He delivered a raft of international eponymous lectures and was a visiting professor at 43 universities in 28 countries globally. He held high office in numerous distinguished societies and was president of various international bodies including the International Federation of Surgical Colleges (1997 to 2000), the International Association for the Study of the Liver (1996 to 1998) and the Pan African Association of Surgeons (2000 to 2002). In South Africa he was president of the College of Medicine (1989 to 1992), the Association of Surgeons of South Africa (1992 to 1995), the Surgical Research Society of South Africa (1986 to 1988), the South African Transplant Society (1979 to 1981) and the Pan African Association for the Study of the Liver (1982 to 1984). He was an active vice chairman of the South African Medical Association from 1989 to 2000. John Terblanche will be long remembered by many as the consummate clinician-researcher-academician but also as a kind and generous teacher and mentor. His legacy is set to endure and surgeons, both local and abroad, remain indebted to him for his vision, his values, his vigorous leadership, his innovative scientific contributions and the standards of excellence he practised and demanded. His influence was immense and will last beyond his physical presence. Isaac Newton’s words could not be more apt since those who worked with him could see further because they stood on the shoulders of an academic giant. After retirement he turned his attention to golf, which he undertook with the same single-minded tenacity and vigour which characterised his early rugby career as a storming lock forward playing for the university first XV while a medical student. Alas, a coveted hole-in-one eluded him despite his elegant golf swing and smooth follow-through, especially when playing his short irons. His continued love for his family was a cornerstone in his life. Anne (née Ansley), John's loving wife for more than 60 years, was a constant supporter of his career and a gracious hostess to the innumerable visitors, ranging from distinguished international visitors to junior trainees, invited to dine at the Terblanche home. He died in Cape Town on 6 March 2023, aged 87 and was survived by Anne and their children, James, Michelle, Michael and Christopher.