I came to work for Prof having worked in general practice so had never experienced any aspect of hospital life - my oh my, what an eye opener it was! Gone was the order of my previous job and I stepped into a world of absolute chaos, which seemed to have no rules and spent the next month wondering if I had made the mistake of my life. Prof however was there, he was so supportive and patient (he truly was) and gradually we became a well organised, functioning orthopaedic unit. Prof always remained focused on the care of his patients and was constantly striving to better their lives. He was passionate about improving the lives of his patients and I remember the gratitude of a family of a lady in her late 80’s who had received a new shoulder, and after years of pain was happily living pain free. I do not know who will pick up the reins in work after Prof but what I do know is that they will have to be a very special person. There are a lot of patients that Prof helped that had been written off by others but because of Prof’s care, compassion and constant striving for solutions to problems their lives are now better for meeting him. He truly is a hard act to follow.