Peter Hendry was born at Coonabarabran in NW NSW in 1914-he was the son of a Presbyterian minister, his father having come out from Scotland as a missionary, serving a large area of the northwest using a horse and buggy , so that the young Hendry saw little of his father. He died when Peter was only nine, and the family moved to the south coast of NSW., then to Sydney - Peter was educated initially at Newington College, later at Scots College, where he matriculated.

He originally wished to follow in his fathers footsteps and become a medical missionary, so had to do Medicine first! He obtained an Exhibition at the LC, which helped with fees, and was also assisted financially by old parishioners from his father's church.

He began med 1 in 1932', and so was trained in the era before the great majority of the modern medical advances. He gives profiles of his old teachers, the diseases they encountered in those days, leading up to the outbreak of WW2-he graduated at the end of 1938 ,went to the Coast Hospital initially, enlisted in the AIF in 1940, and was in the Malaysian campaign, captured in Singapore, was in Changi, on the Burma railway, and returned to Royal Newcastle Hospital where he was the first clinical pathologist, set up a modern Dept. and was the driving force behind the exchange transfusion service for the Rh. Babies, the modern management of diabetic coma, and haemetemesis-he then set up a pioneer private pathology service, becoming the world leader in quality assurance and standards in Pathology across the globe, later becoming the World President of the International College of Pathology and receiving many awards internationally

Dr. Peter Hendry became a legend in his own lifetime, and is revered by his colleagues and the community of Newcastle. This CD is a treasure trove of memories and insights from a man who is truly a "great Australian”.