 He remained a New Zealander throughout his life, though he eventually retired to Queensland.After an adventurous childhood and teenage years including mountaineering and skiing in New Zealand, and a multi-hundred mile kayak journey, he traveled to England in 1938 for medical training at the University of Leeds, and served in the British army as a medical officer.After the war, he worked as a doctor in London, and was involved in setting up the National Health Service.