Shortly after Dr Hargrave’s death in 2020, a group of his colleagues and friends gathered to find a way to share John’s magnificent legacy with the world. 

Since then, the John Hargrave Society has been working to ensure John’s work is not only remembered, but continues to influence and inspire fellow doctors and surgeons across the world. As well as his work in the Northern Territory, John founded the Overseas Specialist Surgical Association of Australia (OSSAA), and travelled to Timor and Indonesia to perform reconstructive surgery on children and adults with untreated deformities and disabilities.

John’s life was devoted to the First Nations peoples of Australia and helping them overcome the many illnesses and diseases that ravished their communities. The John Hargrave Society continues to inspire and motivate First peoples to follow in John’s footsteps and become involved in the Aboriginal Health Worker Program, study nursing or medicine.