The Haileybury Society is saddened to learn of the death of Dr John Cracroft Rice (Aby 47) who has died in Australia on 23rd November 2021, aged 88.

After studying at Cambridge, John gained his MBBS and MA in 1960 and was accepted into the FRCS in 1962. In 1967 he was accepted into the FRACS when he emigrated to Australia to work in private practice. He also became Senior Visiting ENT specialist at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital.

In early 1992, John became Director of the South Australian Cochlear Implant Program and he performed over 50 of the earliest implant operations mostly in children. He also travelled to India to train local ENT surgeons.

After his retirement John became the Patron of the Cora Barclay Centre for Hearing Impaired Children. John was awarded an OAM (Medal of the Order of Australia) in the Australia Day Honours on 26th January 2013 (see photograph). His journey with cochlear implantation came full circle a few years ago when he himself became the recipient of a cochlear implant.

John was one of many of his family to attend Haileybury. His late brothers Dr Noel Cracroft Rice (Aby 45) and Philip Cracroft Rice (Aby 51) shared his house at school, as indeed did his nephew in later years, Dr Andrew Sven Cracroft Rice (Aby 71) and his son William Timothy Cracroft Rice (Aby 77).

Photo: Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce (left) , Governor of South Australia (2007-2014), presenting Dr John Rice with his OAM.