George Syme carried on the tradition of his father, Sir George Syme, as surgeon to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia. Born on 20 April 1902 in Melbourne, the only son, he was educated at Trinity and Melbourne Grammar Schools, then at Melbourne University where he obtained first class honours in medicine and surgery. After resident appointments at the Royal Melbourne he came to England, obtained the FRCS and returned to Melbourne as surgeon, his interests including thyroid and abdominal surgery. He was active in serving the Royal Australasian College, being an honorary assistant secretary (1933-1936) and later librarian. Also he was Chairman of the Medical Defence Association of Victoria (SA) and served the Salvation Army as honorary consultant. Owing to illness he was considered unfit for service during the second world war, yet he was eventually able to serve as Lieutenant-Colonel in the 110 Australian General Hospital, British Commonwealth Occupation Forces at the end of the war. In 1929 he married Meredith Graham Sutton. They had four sons, of whom Graham became surgeon to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Rodney a urologist to the Austin Hospital.