The first Maltese-born surgeon in Australia who developed his own hair-transplant techniques has been remembered by his family 50 years after dying in a plane crash.

Relatives of Valletta-born Thomas Pirotta gathered at the Parafield Airport heritage centre in Adelaide to unveil a plaque dedicated to him. It was there that, on March 3, 1975, Pirotta died while piloting his light twin-engine aircraft. His four passengers also died in the crash.

The ceremony was attended by his children Michael and Marie, and his widow Patricia.

Pirotta, then 16, emigrated to Australia in 1949 after obtaining a place at the University of Adelaide to study medicine. His unusually high intelligence meant he had skipped several years of school in Malta.

Relatives of Valletta-born Thomas Pirotta gathered at the Parafield Airport heritage centre in Adelaide yesterday to unveil a plaque dedicated to him.

He then continued his studies in Edinburgh and London, before moving to Melbourne to practise surgery.

He made a name for himself by pioneering his own techniques in hair transplant operations and was one of only two surgeons in Australia who offered the procedure at the time. He ran clinics in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

In 1969, Pirotta carried out a hair transplant on his brother, Charlie.

Aside from his private practice, Pirotta was also a volunteer surgeon in the St John’s Ambulance Brigade.

The plaque dedicated to Thomas Pirotta.

A biography of Pirotta in a newsletter for the Maltese Australian community paints a picture of a Renaissance man. In his youth back in Malta, Pirotta was a keen artist and also won accolades in swimming and waterpolo. Later in life, he took up martial arts and gained a love for cars. He owned several vehicles, including two Jaguars.

But Pirotta’s greatest passion was flying. He obtained a commercial pilot licence and accumulated 538 flight hours until the accident that claimed his life.

He was also very active in Melbourne’s Maltese community, having served on the board that established the city’s Maltese community centre.

Pirotta’s granddaughter, Katie, who moved from Australia to Malta in 2014, said he was highly popular in Maltese and aviation circles.

“I would have loved to have met him. He was loved and respected because he came from humble beginnings and did good,” said Katie, who was inspired by her grandfather to become a pilot herself.