Michael Moreny was a general surgeon in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia. He was born in London on 25 August 1939, the only child of Harry Lewis Moreny and Betty Edith Fletcher Moreny née Norton; Harry was an entertainer and Betty was an actress. Both parents travelled widely and performed all over the world. His parents divorced and he moved to Johannesburg from London in 1950 with his mother and grandmother, where he attended St John’s College as a day boy. He spoke fondly of his time there, where he learnt some important life skills, including boxing, scouting, marksmanship and acting. At the age of 15, the tragic and sudden death of his mother saw him return to London. From this early time, Michael knew he wanted to be a doctor and set his mind to this task. Independent and single-minded, he worked in factories and nursing homes to get himself through medical school to qualify in 1964. In 1962, while training at Charing Cross Hospital, Michael met the woman that would change his life, Jenny Bardell, a nurse in training who would become his life partner and inspiration. On meeting Jenny, Michael was (for the first time) able to see how family life operated and this certainly changed his life for the better. Mike and Jenny married in 1966 and quickly had four children – Peter, David, Sarah and Mark. Michael qualified as a surgeon in 1969, becoming a fellow of Royal College of Surgeons, but working in London and the surrounds was not what he wanted. The next big step was to move to Australia. The famous ‘ten pound pom’ deal was in full swing and Michael managed to get plane tickets to a place on the other side of the world called Bundaberg. Not only did he secure a job at the local hospital (Bundaberg General Hospital), but also a house for us to live in. If you can imagine moving from a two-bedroom terraced house to a four bedroom Queenslander on a half-acre block, then you will have some idea of the shock we were in for! Michael became a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1972. He had absolutely no intention of returning to England, so we all became Australians in 1977. It was not as easy as it sounds, a move across the world with four children aged one, two, three and four. Michael found the change easy, as he said hospital cabbage is the same the world over and if you cut them they bleed. We were told that they spoke English, but it was certainly not the same as London English! After two years in the hospital house, it was time to make the largest investment of our lives – a new house. We bought the Queenslander in Bingera Street for $25,000, which required a 25-year mortgage and a lot of worrying. Moving into Bingera Street came with Michael starting his own private practice, setting up on the main street in the Art Deco building, Parkview. Although now in private practice, he continued to work part time at the General Hospital for another 12 years. There were some tough times in the early days and it was not unusual to come home to find crabs, fish, sugar or watermelons on the driveway as thank yous from people who had been treated. In about 1978, we did a massive renovation to the Bingera Street house, raising it so that the surgery could be built in underneath. With the renovation completed in 1979, all six of us flew to England to visit both now ailing grandfathers, with the decision being made to bring Michael’s father Harry back to live with us in Bundaberg. Michael was involved in a huge number of non-medical organisations, including the Bundaberg Rotary. He was president of the Musgrave Pony Club and the Bundaberg Show Society, state president of the Queensland Pony Club and federal president of the Australian Pony Club. He was the reluctant but proud recipient of the Australia Day Citizenship award for service to sport, the Paul Harris fellowship of Rotary International for community service, the Australian Sports medal for service to Australian sport and the Order of Australia Medal for services to the Australian Pony Club council. He was also a black belt in karate. Amongst saving lives, Michael would wield a chainsaw, shoe a horse etc. He was even known to compete at the Bundaberg Show, swinging an axe at the president challenge. Michael was a keen golfer in his later years and, as he often said with that cheeky smile, his handicap was his swing. He loved playing golf and the time he spent with his fellow golfers. He never stopped learning and sharing his knowledge, which brought him a huge amount of joy. He successfully completed a graduate diploma in management and a masters degree in management (human resources). If you were to ask Michael for a fact, you would always get something interesting – it wasn’t until the Internet came into full swing that we were able to determine the validity of these claimed parcels of wisdom. We travelled all over the country from coast to coast in all directions; we loved to follow along the less travelled roads and deserts, and very much enjoyed the company of others with a cool beer at the end of the day. Michael swam with whale sharks over in Western Australia, drank the whiskey of the High Country in the south and reversed quietly into a lonely gum tree up north. Most of this was achieved with a much-loved Land Cruiser and a roof top tent! Michael was intelligent, funny, witty, a tireless worker, adventurous and so incredibly proud of his four children. He died on 2 January 2019 at the age of 79. We have had an overwhelming response to his death, with so many wonderful things being said of him. Michael told us that he was not afraid to die, but he didn’t want to leave me. He was an Anglican and in his later years sang in the church choir, which he really enjoyed. We had a requiem mass and the church was packed with people quietly listening to a shortened story of a man who has touched all our lives; he was kind, gentle and giving. He would be embarrassed to see all the fuss, but, we are sure, quietly chuffed.