Plastic and reconstructive surgery in Western Australia (WA) emerged as a recognised specialty following the Second World War. Prior to 1948, no WA surgeon practised plastic surgery, with reconstructive procedures being undertaken by general, orthopaedic and paediatric surgeons.¹ A critical evolution occurred with the establishment of the Traumatic and Plastic Surgery Unit at Royal Perth Hospital in late 1948, following sustained advocacy by Mr L.E. Le Souëf.1 Le Souëf, a WA–born surgeon exposed to reconstructive principles on plastic surgery units abroad, on his return to Perth recognised that plastic surgery required formal recognition. In 1948, he established a dedicated unit, initially operating from Ward 82, accommodating up to six acute burns patients.¹ The unit provided management of burns, soft-tissue defects and maxillofacial injuries. Adopting early excision, grafting and dressing principles consistent with existing British practices.¹ The appointment of Harold McComb as Assistant Plastic Surgeon in 1955, marked the first sustained expansion of the plastic surgical workforce and consolidating the unit’s credibility.¹ Under this framework, services rapidly expanded into statewide referral systems, forming the nucleus for dedicated burns units and reconstructive subspecialisation.2 The origins of plastic and reconstructive surgery in WA were characterised by deliberate post-war planning rather than incremental evolution. Le Souëf’s vision, persistence and organisational leadership established the state’s first plastic surgery unit, embedding reconstructive surgery within WA and shaping a professional legacy in plastic surgical practice. 1. Cohney BC. The beginnings of plastic surgery in Western Australia. Unpublished historical manuscript; presented at the 10th International Society for the History of Plastic Surgery Meeting; 2006. 2. McComb H. The structure and function of the Burns Unit at the Royal Perth Hospital. Aust N Z J Surg. 1979;49(4):416-424.