Michael Peter Aroney was a general and trauma surgeon in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was born on 16 August 1934 in Brisbane, Queensland. His father, Peter Nicholas Aroney, was a confectioner; his mother was Irene Adie née Mavromatis. He attended Brisbane State High School and then went on

William (Bruce) Conolly was a pioneering hand surgeon. Born in Molong, New South Wales on 1 February 1935, he was the eldest son of William Arnold Conolly, a doctor who was responsible for founding the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. His mother Ruth née King was a direct descendan