Dr John Saalfeld (Fr 1955)
1938-2025
The Principal, Council and St Andrew’s College community honour the life of Dr John Albert Alfred Henry Saalfeld, who passed away on Wednesday 2 July 2025, aged 87.
Born in Weybridge, Surrey, England on 15 May 1938, John moved to Australia at two years old, first settling in Tamworth with his grandmother before relocating to Mosman in Sydney.
John matriculated in 1954 and joined St Andrew's College in 1955 until 1961 while studying a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Class I) at the University of Sydney. A dedicated student both at the College and the University, John was awarded the GS Caird Scholarship No II for General Proficiency in 1957. He was also an active member of the Rawson Rowing Team and returned to College in 1964 to serve as a residential tutor. John remained connected to the College throughout his life, generously supporting various building fund appeals, and was recognised as a Friend of the St Andrew’s College Foundation.
John married Nina Glynn in 1968, and together they share three children and five grandchildren.
In 1969, John undertook postgraduate training in Canterbury, England, and at University College in Los Angeles, California. Upon returning to Sydney in 1972, he was appointed as a specialist Urologist at the Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) and Manly Hospital. He also held positions at The Mater Private Hospital, North Shore Private, and initially at the Sydney Adventist Hospital.
Throughout his career, John made significant contributions to the field of urology. In 1980, he established and secured accreditation for a Urology Registrar training position at RNSH, coinciding with the formation of the Training and Accreditation Committee of the Urological Society of Australasia, on which he represented RNSH for many years.
John was responsible for several pioneering procedures at RNSH, performing the hospital’s first percutaneous nephrolithotomy in 1984 - a minimally invasive technique to remove large kidney stones - and the first radical prostatectomy in 1989. In 1998, he introduced brachytherapy for prostate cancer at RNSH in collaboration with Dr Mark Stevens from the Department of Radiotherapy.
He served as Head of the Department of Urology at RNSH from 1988 to 1995. Beyond his clinical work, John contributed to professional leadership and advocacy, serving on the NSW Branch Council of the AMA in 1984, on the Federal Executive of the Urological Society of Australasia from 1985 to 1987, and as Chairman of the NSW Section of the Urological Society in 1996.
John resigned from his public hospital appointments in 2002 and retired from private practice in 2007.
John loved sailing, as well as golf, walking and skiing. He sailed on Caprice of Huon in 1962 and 1963 in the Sydney to Hobart races, and in 1965 in the Australian Admiral's Cup team in English waters.
The Saalfeld family are held warmly in our thoughts and our deepest sympathy is extended to all who knew John.
John's memorial service was held on Tuesday 8 July at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park in Matraville. In lieu of flowers, John's family have requested considering a donation to Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
1955 whole of College photo
1956 - The Rowing "Eight"
