Warwick Smithers was born in Sale, Victoria, the only child of Henry Smithers, bank manager, born 1878 in Geelong and Ruby Maud, nee McLean, of Gippsland. His father developed a chronic chest illness and was transferred to a branch of the bank in Bright, a township in the Victorian Alps where it was hoped his health would improve; but he died on 14 December 1918 when his son was aged nine. Warwick was educated at Bright primary school from which he gained a scholarship to Scotch College, Melbourne. There he also did brilliantly, gained a government scholarship to the University of Melbourne, and completed an excellent medical course. After graduating in September 1933 he spent the rest of that year as a temporary RMO at Launceston Hospital. In 1934 he was a junior and in 1935 a senior RMO at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. In 1936 while an RMO at the Melbourne Children's Hospital he gained his Melbourne MD. In those RMO days he had a few grey hairs at his temples and it was a standing joke between him and us (his contemporaries) that patients and their parents always wanted the older, more experienced opinion of Dr Smithers, not ours. He spent 1937 and 1938 in England, obtained the MRCP and the DCH, and worked in several general and special hospitals, taking particular interest in paediatric medicine and infectious diseases, including tuberculosis. When he returned to Melbourne at the end of 1938 he had no difficulty in passing the MRACP examination.

In those days specialist physicians without financial means had to start in general practice in order to live, so, after a period as an assistant in Dr Robert Southby's general practice he started his own in Camberwell and also began his consultant practice in a room at 63 Collins Street. In addition he did honorary work at Prince Henry's Hospital, and part-time work with the AAMC after war broke out. Early in 1942 when a locum became available to run his general practice, he was allowed to enlist for full-time military service. He served as a major in the AAMC in Australia from February 1942 to June 1946, mostly as a senior physician in military hospitals. His work in 107 AGH in the Darwin area was highly praised by Colonel Hume Turnbull.

In June 1942 he reported a lump which when removed proved to be malignant. However, it seemed to have been completely removed so he returned to full military duties, becoming more confident of cure as the months passed with no recurrence or secondaries. After the War he remained fit and well until about April, 1947. His general practice was thriving, his consulting practice was growing encouragingly, he was happily married to Jean, nee Copland, with a small daughter and a second child expected, and his future as an honorary at Prince Henry's Hospital seemed assured. Then thoracolumbar spinal pain began to develop, and he was found to have retroperitioneal and mediastinal secondaries, too widespread for radiotherapy.

When he knew his fate he had the photograph which accompanies this entry taken as a surprise present for his wife to remember him by. Then he went on working until he was skin and bone and even his invincible spirit had to give in. His second daughter was born while he was still alert enough to take in the news and his death soon after deprived Melbourne of a most promising young physician and one of its finest, bravest men. His elder daughter followed in his footsteps and is a paediatric physician; his younger daughter is a schoolteacher.