Little could he have known then that later in life he would become a multi-award-winning, ground-breaking and world-class neuroscientist.
Tomorrow, Distinguished Professor Sir Richard Faull (Ngāti Rāhiri and Te Āti Awa) will be honoured by the university with an honorary doctor of science, at the graduation ceremony in the Dunedin Town Hall.
Sir Richard said he still vividly remembered the first time he saw a human brain, as a third-year Otago medical student.
"I couldn't believe its beauty and complexity.
"I was spellbound and overwhelmed when I was given the wonderful opportunity to interrupt my medical studies for a year to undertake brain research for a bachelor of medical science degree. That year changed my life forever.
"I found a new brain pathway related to Parkinson's disease, published three papers, presented my exciting findings to an Australasian Conference in Adelaide, and my brain was on fire."
After graduating from Otago Medical School with a bachelor of medical science in 1967 and a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery in 1970, Sir Richard established himself as a leader in brain research - nationally and internationally.
He went on to complete his PhD at the University of Auckland before undertaking further postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Nasa’s Ames Research Centre.
In 1978, he returned to the Auckland’s anatomy department, where he established the Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank in 1994 and the Centre for Brain Research in 2009.
The brain bank allows researchers to study a range of human brain diseases, including Huntington’s, Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease and epilepsy, which has led to ground-breaking findings.
The Centre for Brain Research, which he directs, excels in world-class neuroscience research and promotes collaborative brain research by encouraging scientists at Auckland to work with their peers from Otago and other New Zealand universities, and with leading international researchers.
Sir Richard’s most significant research contributions have transformed our knowledge of Huntington’s disease and have revolutionised our knowledge of the human brain by showing that, contrary to beliefs, stem cells are still present in the adult human brain and have the potential to make new brain cells and repair the brain throughout life.
He has won many awards for his work, and was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016.
"Otago set me up for the most exciting life - one that I could never have imagined."
The honorary degree was an "extraordinary honour of a lifetime".
"I would like to think that this award would serve to inspire other young Otago students of today, just as I was inspired."
