Richard James Antony Meurer was born in Dubbo NSW, the last of four siblings. His father, Theodore Christian Meurer, Tod, was an eminent ophthalmologist practising in Dubbo and Orange and his mother, Sheila, before her marriage was a teacher of botany and music at the Presbyterian Ladies College in Orange. They met in Orange where Tod practiced for a few years before they and their two daughters moved to Dubbo where their sons were born.

Richard’s childhood was an idyllic country family life with swimming in rivers, staying on country farms, all-day bivouacs with his brother wearing broad brimmed hats with corks to scare away the flies and, as the smallest of four snowy to red headed kids, lining up in Tod’s surgery for “Saturday pay” of 2 shillings each (that's 20 cents!). All the siblings went away to boarding school and university would go back and forth from Dubbo to Sydney but they always knew when they were home because it was announced in the local newspaper, The Dubbo Liberal!

Richard was educated at All Hallows Bathurst from 1961 to 1965 and St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill in Sydney. He had a brilliant mind and an outstanding school record. In the leaving certificate he received the maximum pass of two first class honours and four A levels. He had an ebullient and irrepressible personality, a lively wit and a ready, hearty laugh. He had excellent debating skills and a deep love of history. He was tall and handsome with dark blond wavy hair and hazel eyes. He went on to the University of Sydney where he was a resident at St John’s College Camperdown while he was studying for his degrees of Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Medicine from 1966 to 1972. He loved college life and thrived on collegiate activities and adventures.

His family donated a prize to St John’s to celebrate his achievements. The Richard Meurer Prize is awarded to the most proficient fresher at St John's College. Richard carried on a long tradition of Meurers at college on Missenden Road Camperdown. Tod had been a student at St John's from 1926 to 1931, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and Science in 1932. He later went on to become an ophthalmologist. Richard's late elder brother, Theodore Mark McDougall Meurer, known as Mark, was a student at St John's in the 60s. He lived in Wellington and was a horticulturalist, holding a Diploma of Horticulture. He died in 2017.

Richard's two elder sisters, Mary and Frances, attended Sancta Sophia College in the 60s. Mary studied medicine and became an anaesthetist in London. Frances studied Arts and a Diploma of Education and later Law at the University of New South Wales and practised law in Sydney. Their children studied medicine: Mary's, Christiana, becoming a breast surgeon in Bath, UK, James, a neurosurgeon in Sydney, and Frances', Lucy, a general practitioner in Sydney.

At the University of Sydney Richard pursued his love of army life, separate from his medical degrees, obtaining the rank of major and bonding links with the University of Sydney Regiment. He completed his BSc (Med) in biochemistry in 1969 and his MB BS in 1972. Midway through that year his father died and his family were there to support his mother and him during that sad time. Family were very important to Richard. He elected to spend his residency years in Queensland, eventually choosing paediatrics at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane in 1973. He was accepted into the training programme at the Prince of Wales Children's Hospital Sydney from 1977 where he is remembered for his excellent teaching, forceful case presentations and good grasp of his subject. He also went to New Guinea in 1977.

He passed the membership examinations in paediatrics without difficulty and was accepted into the Royal Australian College of Paediatricians in 1981. In that year his mother died. Again, Richard’s family stood close by him in support. He set up a solo paediatric practice in Bathurst from that time. He loved his work. He said he chose paediatrics after a little child had sat on his knee and played with his hair! He also loved being in proximity to Mark, then in Wongarbon ("No brag now" spelt backwards!), with his wife and two sons. They would regale the family with tales of how "Uncle Wick" would arrive during the night and sleep on the verandah before greeting them hail heartedly early in the morning.

Richard had many loyal friends with whom he would often dine and converse over port and good wine long into the night. His contemporaries remember Richard as a colourful university character with strongly held views forged from his historical prospective, flavoured by anglophilia and militaria. His family was, and remain, incredibly proud of Richard, his life, achievements and triumphs. His sister, now Mary Laban, and her husband Alex and their daughter, Christiana, and son, James, lived in London. Richard stayed with them and they tell hysterical stories of him, dressed in the middle of winter in R M William’s boots, long socks and shorts with a huge clump of keys dangling from his waist on a long chain, pointing out to the officials at Madame Tussauds how, in minute detail, the uniforms say of the British army in particular battles were incorrect.

Unmentioned, unintentionally, thus far were Sheila’s younger identical twin sisters, Dr Peggy and Dr Nancy Anderson. Both were 4’11 1/2" and miffed about the missing half inch. They were among the first women to graduate in medicine from the University of Sydney and were in general practice at Gladesville, both indefatigable and fun. Sadly Nancy died young, however Peggy continued to practice in their magnificent old sandstone house in Wharf Road, Gladesville. The family would often stay there.

Richard lived the last years of his life firstly in a terrace in Paddington with his sister, now Frances Butcher, and her husband, Brian, and their daughter, Lucy. Terrace life was not suitable for Richard which was realised when he fell down the stairs. Fortunately he was unharmed but it was a terrible shock to all and so Richard moved in with Peggy in the wondrous sandstone house. They had great fun together testing each other’s IQ and general knowledge with television quizzes, where they outdid the contestants in spades. Thus he lived for the rest of his life, forever loved and remembered in the bosom of his family.