John Borrie was born and bred in Otago. In his formative years he excelled academically as well as on the sports field representing his college at cross-country running. He elected to follow in his father's footsteps and went on to Otago University to study medicine, graduating in 1938. During his training he received the Bachelor Medal for obstetrics and gynaecology. He worked as a house surgeon at Dunedin Hospital until September 1939 when he was sent to the Middle East as a captain in the New Zealand Army Medical Corps. In 1941, whilst stationed in Greece he was captured by the Germans and, after nearly a month of being transported with other POW's in railway wagons northwest into central Europe, spent more than four years as a POW camp doctor. Through much adversity he learnt to improvise and make do, often challenging the Germans until he got a satisfactory resolution. It was during this period of incarceration that he studied for the Part 1 surgical examination and on his release to London he was able to sit and pass in the shortest possible time, progressing on to the Part 2 exam in May 1946. At this time he was also awarded an MBE for distinguished service to Allied POW's during the war as well as a 1939-45 Star, Africa Star and New Zealand War Service Medal. He returned to NZ in 1953 and within a year had set up the Southern Regional Thoracic Surgery Unit in Dunedin, providing clinics for both Central Otago and Southland. He became senior lecturer then later associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Otago University. In 1957 he organised the first formal New Zealand course for candidates for a specialist college exam - a series of tutorials spread over several weeks for Dunedin doctors preparing for the Primary (later Part 1) FRACS. The small informal organisation catering for a handful of local postgraduate students evolved into today's charitable trust employing office staff and over 30 tutors, and catering for 80 to 90 Trainees each year in a full-time course of 5 weeks' duration. Over the years it has attracted well over 2000 New Zealand and Australian surgical Trainees. Sadly John Borrie died a few weeks short of the completion of its 50th year. His contribution to the Otago Medical School and to Dunedin Hospital is noted as having been many and varied. The Southern Regional Thoracic Surgical Unit which he founded expanded and he played a major role in the Unit's immaculate record system, its reputation for clinical research and its key role in the teaching of surgery to undergraduates. Teaching itself was seen as his great love. In addition to his clinical roles he was secretary of the Postgraduate Committee of the Faculty of Medicine from 1954-1976 and helped to establish the NZ Postgraduate Medical Federation to which he was Secretary in the early 1960s. In 1974 he was a moving force behind the establishment of the Alumnus Association of the Otago University Medical School becoming its first President. On his retirement from the Otago Medical School and the Otago Hospital in 1980 he was made the faculty of medicine's honorary curator of historic medical artefacts. The display was later named the John Borrie History Hall. He received many honours during his career including the 1947-48 Nuffield Fellow in Thoracic Surgery, in 1951 the Royal College of Surgeons Hunterian Professor and in 1953 the Royal College of Surgeons Jacksonian Prize for his research into carcinoma of the stomach. He was the Rockefeller Fellow in Thoracic and Heart Surgery in 1960 and was awarded the Jacksonian medal from the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1972 and the RACS medal in 1977 for distinguished service to postgraduate education. He published over 120 papers on clinical and research topics within Medicine and Surgery, wrote 12 historical and cultural articles in general journals and published 5 books. His booklet *Hints to Graduates Studying Abroad* ran to 17 editions. This was first published when overseas travel (usually by sea) was more of a novelty than it is today; and it contained information not only on organising one's departure from New Zealand and gaining medical registration overseas, but also on assorted exotica (at least for kiwis) like cheap accommodation in Italy, coping with primitive toilet arrangements in Eastern Europe, and avoiding expensive hairdressers in the West End of London. John Borrie is survived by his wife of 57 years, Helen, and their two sons, Professor Michael Borrie (Canada) and Dr Philip Borrie, and daughter Louise Borrie. (The above is compiled from an obituary in the *Otago Daily Times* written by John Heslop and a copy of the address given at the time of his retirement from the Dunedin Hospital)