Tony Low was born in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, on 27 June 1940. His father, David Irving Low, was a general practitioner. His mother was Dorothy Campbell née Byrns. He was educated at the Scots College, Sydney, and St Andrew's College, University of Sydney. He did junior posts at the Royal Princ

Robert Richardson qualified from Durham in 1961 and, after junior posts, specialised in orthopaedics, training in Newcastle, Middlesborough and at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital, Oswestry. In 1974 he was awarded the Malkin travelling scholarship, before taking up his consultant appointment