Renowned surgeon never forgot his roots

Mitchell Notaras, 1933-2011

  In his life, Mitchell Notaras travelled a long way from his birthplace in rural Australia and made his mark in medicine but he never forgot his home in Grafton or his gratitude for his education at the University of Sydney.

  He was proud to be Australian and never lost his Australian accent.

  As a form of appreciation, he funded in perpetuity a scholarship in colorectal surgery through the University of Sydney. These scholarships are to help aspiring Australian surgeons through three years of colorectal clinical work, as well as sponsoring them for a year of work overseas.

  Mitchell James Notaras and his twin brother Angelo were born in Grafton on March 26, 1933, two of five children to Kytherian-Greek immigrant parents, Anthony and Ianthe (nee Megalokonomos). He was captain of Grafton Primary School, then went on to Grafton High School, where, along with his studies, he created a school newsletter by learning to type, then did the reporting, drew the comic strip and even managed to bring in a modest advertising revenue for the school. He was dux of the school when he did his Intermediate Certificate. He finished secondary school as a boarder at Newington College and at 16 entered the University of Sydney to study medicine with a Commonwealth Government Scholarship.

  He did his clinical undergraduate studies at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, then returned to the hospital as a junior, then senior, medical officer. To gain experience abroad, he travelled to England as a ship's surgeon on a cargo vessel and took work in London.

  Notaras continued his studies while working at Hammersmith Hospital. He obtained fellowships of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He was also a senior registrar and Medical Research Council fellow at St Mark's Hospital for Colorectal Diseases in London, and a senior registrar in surgery at University College Hospital in London.

  In 1962, he married Dr Lorna McPhail, with whom he had three daughters. They separated in 1970.

  He was also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and he held a number of consultant posts, including senior lecturer and honorary consultant surgeon at University College Hospital in London and was a consultant surgeon to the Italian Hospital London, St Luke's Hospital for the Clergy, and Barnet and Edgware general hospitals. He was a recognised teacher in surgery at the University of London, and visited and lectured in 28 countries. His special interest was in colorectal surgery, mesh repair of hernias, and rectal prolapse. He introduced lateral subcutaneous internal anal sphincterotomy for anal fissure, now an established procedure.

  Notaras published in various surgical journals, and wrote chapters for a number of surgical textbooks, including Maingot's Textbook of Abdominal Surgery, Rob and Smith's Textbook of Operative Surgery, Nyhus's Textbook of Operative Surgery, Nyhus's Textbook of Abdominal Surgery (Spanish) and Surgical Clinics of North America.

  He was a member of the editorial board of two journals, ColoProctology and Hernia.

  In Britain, Notaras was instrumental in establishing a company, Abgene, which became a leader in Europe in the manufacture of molecular biological reagents, plastic consumables and instrumentation for life sciences. It also became involved in research, both in-house and through collaborations with universities and industrial partners, particularly in gene and DNA technology. Abgene was later bought by Apogent Corporation, USA.

  In 1981, following a divorce, Notaras married Bente Fasmer.

  When Notaras retired he restored his grandfather's house in the village of Frilinianika, on the island of Kythera, Greece. He also became involved with the Kytherian community there, helping to fund the purchase of equipment needed by the local hospital and aged care facility. He regularly travelled to Australia, including Grafton, where he, along with his brothers Angelo and John, and cousin Spiro, restored the heritage-listed Saraton theatre, originally built by his father and uncle in 1926.

  Notaras was a prodigious reader throughout his life, particularly in his retirement, and a great story teller.

  Lorna McPhail predeceased him. Mitchell Notaras is survived by his daughters Fiona, Nicola and Lorna, from his first marriage, and wife, Bente ,and their sons Anthony and James, six grandchildren, and siblings Angelo, Irene, John and Betty.

Angelo and John Notaras