Colin Fontaine was a consultant general surgeon and medical director at Prince Charles Hospital, north Glamorgan. He was born in Barry Docks, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales on 19 June 1940 to Roy Astill Fontaine and Dylys Eleanor Fontaine née Biss. His younger sister, Lesley, went on to train as a chiropodist. Colin started his studies at Charing Cross Hospital Medical School in 1960. He qualified in 1965 and undertook pre-registration surgical and medical appointments at the West London Hospital. This was followed by a senior house officer post in the accident and emergency department. In 1967 he passed the primary FRCS examination, which was followed by a senior house officer post at St James’ Hospital, Balham. In 1972, Colin passed the final FRCS exam. After a series of senior house officer appointments, he held registrar posts at Wexham Park and Mount Vernon hospitals and was subsequently appointed as a senior registrar at St Mary’s Hospital, London. Colin was appointed as a consultant general surgeon at Prince Charles Hospital in north Glamorgan in 1978 and took on a very wide range of both emergency and elective surgery. His calm considered manner in treating complex problems under demanding circumstances was an important feature, along with his surgical skill, in ensuring good patient outcomes. Colin’s versatility was of immense use to the trust as services developed throughout the 1990s. As he could operate virtually on any problem that a patient presented with, as new consultants were appointed with a range of sub-specialties, Colin moved from one sub-specialty to another, ensuring the trust had an expert in all areas. He was responsible for colorectal and vascular surgery, later becoming responsible for urology and day case surgery. In 1994, Colin was appointed as medical director of the Prince Charles Hospital and was at the forefront of the development of the North Glamorgan NHS Trust, the last NHS trust to be created in Wales. At this time, the challenge was recruiting consultants to north Glamorgan, which Colin embraced by encouraging recently qualified consultants that north Glamorgan was a place to practise. He also explored what best practice was for medical directors when the new British Association of Medical Managers was created in January 1996 and ensured that North Glamorgan NHS Trust joined this organisation. In late 1996, Colin was instrumental in proposing that the colorectal services at Prince Charles Hospital should enter the UK’s Doctor of the Year competition, the only hospital in Wales to be shortlisted and one of only ten in the UK. Colin was exceptionally keen for the trust to be exposed nationally in this way. Colin was the author of several papers on suture and ligature materials and wrote a further paper on ‘Perfusion in limb melanoma: indications and results’ (*Proc R Soc Med*. 1974 Feb;67[2]:99-100). When Colin retired, the reputation of the district general hospital and North Glamorgan NHS Trust had been transformed; it had become a more attractive place to work and, most importantly, the care of patients improved, all of which can only be accredited to the work carried out by the trust board, of which Colin was an integral part. During the 1990s, Colin was the secretary of the Welsh Surgical Travelling Club. The Club, founded in 1973, allowed surgeons throughout the Principality to meet annually and exchange papers with other surgeons at their hospitals, alternatively in the UK and overseas. Spouses would come on the away visits. Colin readily accepted the challenge of expanding the Club visits outside Europe. During his ten years, club visits extended to India (Benares and Agra), with Nepal, South Africa (Cape Town and Durban) and North America (Cleveland Clinic and Miami), in addition to France and Switzerland. In the days before emails and mobile phones, Colin used to joke that he was having long-distance fax romances with various secretaries overseas. Colin had a keen interest in various sports, including rugby, golf and snow- and water-skiing. He was an accomplished classical guitarist, a hobby which he took up later in life. He loved cooking for family and friends and had a passion for traditional jazz. He hosted many parties at home and these always included performances by jazz musicians. Colin had two children, Rhiannon and Gareth, with his first wife Dominica Evans, who was also a medic. He married again in 1982 to Pamela Bach, a teacher, and had a third child, Charlotte. Colin Fontaine died on 2 June 2023 at the age of 81.