Roland Wettenhall was the youngest of seven sons of Holford Highlord Wettenhall and Mary Dennis, his wife. The family were all born at `Carr's Plains' near Stawell in Western Victoria. He always retained a great interest in country life and history, including family history, which he loved to discuss, but rarely committed to writing. His family's high moral and religious standard gave him a great background of serenity, as well as a nobility of character that was all his own, strong in adversity, generous and affectionate, given to good works, yet with occasional spasms of frugality, at the most awkward moments.

His education, at Geelong College, under the famous Dr George Morrison, and at Ormond College (Melbourne University) under the even more distinguished Sir John McFarland, was essentially Presbyterian in character and outlook, and led to many lifelong friendships. In his choice of a medical career, and of dermatology in particular, he followed the example of his cousin, Herman Lawrence, already a leader in the field and indeed a world pioneer in the new field of superficial radiotherapy.

Roland's own medical course at the Melbourne Hospital was not brilliant, and at finals in 1905 he came down in medicine and had to pass a supplementary examination three weeks later. Thus, he missed the opportunity of a year's residence at the Melbourne Hospital, but spent six months at Hobart instead.

Then fate smiled on him, in the form of a six month grand tour with Herman Lawrence to many of the famous medical centres in Britain and Europe, meeting celebrities such as Castellani, Sequeira and Madam Curie, who already knew of Lawrence's important early work with x-rays and radium. On returning to Melbourne, Roland began six strenuous years as assistant to Herman Lawrence.

In 1913, Roland signed off, married Jane Vera, daughter of AT Creswick, the pastoral tycoon, and set sail for England with no definite medical plans. But his plans were definitely settled in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I, when Roland immediately joined the RAMC, first as RMO to the rugged Royal Munster Fusiliers in France, later in a hospital ship in the Mediterranean, and then in military hospitals in England. In 1916 he transferred to the Australian Army Medical Corps and returned home via America. Army postings continued until 1919 when he first set up his plate at 110 Collins Street, Melbourne, to establish himself as a dermatologist.

At that time there was no frantic necessity for specialists to accumulate senior degrees, but one progressed from being a general practitioner interested in skin to a `practising dermatologist of good repute' or perhaps as an assistant in private practice to a senior man, as well as seeking unpaid sessional work at a teaching hospital for many weary years. This was known as the `Tradesman's entrance'. Roland required no long campaign to `storm the bastille'. His own personal dignity and his ability as a clinical teacher soon attracted honorary appointments at teaching hospitals, the Children's and the Alfred and finally the Melbourne Hospital (1922-42), plus University lectures in dermatology and sessions with the Repatriation Department. As honorary dermatologist to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, he was invited in 1938 to became a foundation Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Wettenhall was a powerful supporter of the British Association of Dermatology and a foundation member of the Dermatological Association of Australia which arose in 1948, but he did not survive to see the Association become a College in 1966. In addition to his medical interests, Wettenhall was a most generous benefactor of St Andrew's Hospital from its earliest days, and for forty years was also an elder of the Kirk.