Mitchell Notaras, 1933-2011
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
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
He did his clinical
undergraduate studies at Royal
Prince Alfred Hospital England as a
ship's surgeon on a cargo vessel and took work in London
Notaras continued his
studies while working at Hammersmith
Hospital Edinburgh
and the Royal College of Surgeons of England 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 University
of London
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
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
