Doctor Fred Hollows was born on April 9th 1929, in Dunedin,
New Zealand which is also where he lived for the first seven
years of his life.
Fred was born into a religious family and was one of four
children. Growing up he thought of becoming a missionary, but
after doing work in a mental hospital he changed his frame of
mind.
After deciding to become a doctor he attended medical school
at the University of Otago from 1951 to 1955.
In 1961, after attending many hospitals, Fred soon decided to
specialise as an eye doctor as he described it being “good work”
and then studied at Moorfields Eye Hospital in England. He
spent three years living in the UK working as an Ophthalmic
Registrar and Epidemiology in Cardiff in Wales.
Fred was then given the opportunity to move to Australia and in
1965 he became Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the
University of New South Wales in Sydney.
(Left to Right)
Colin, Fred and Maurice.
Picture taken in Palmerston
North, New Zealand in the
1930’s
From 1965 to 1992 still living in Australia,
Fred became the chairman of the
ophthalmology division overseeing the
teaching departments at the University of
New South Wales as well as the Prince of
Wales and Prince Henry Hospital.
In 1965 during Fred's time at the Prince of
Wales Hospital he performed his first
cataract operation at a small eye unit he
set up.
Fred was always known as someone who
believed in equality for all no matter what they
looked like, where they lived or how much they
owned.
Within the 1970’s he travelled around New
South Wales towns and stations and Aboriginal
Communities. While he travelled in Sydney the
number of Aboriginal people who had eye
defects was very high which made him
determine to give these people a better life.
Most of the aboriginal people he encountered
suffered from trachoma which can cause
blindness if it’s not treated quickly.
(trachoma)
Doctor Fred Hollows was soon sucked into his work and determined to
give as many people their eyesight back.
In 1971, Fred made the first Aboriginal Medical Service in suburban
Redfern, in Sydney. There are now 60 across Australia.
Fred was known to be a very inspirational person and through his work
got doctors and volunteers to help him. He spent three years in
Aboriginal and outback communities treating eye disease, and within
those three years he visited more than 460 Aboriginal communities,
examined 62,000 aboriginal people, which lead 27,000 of them to be
treated for trachoma, 1000 operations and prescribed more than
10,000 glasses.
By the 1980’s Fred had started to
travel around the world to help set
up eye health programs. Through
travelling he heard about the war in
Eritrea located in South Africa. He
heard about how doctors there were
trying to get training in eye surgery.
This instantly interested Fred and
was inspired to help the Eritreans
build their own eye lens factory. With
the support of Australians, he was
donated more than 6 million dollars.
"I don't know if you can see that lens sitting on
my right knee...that costs at least 140 dollars
Australian. Hopefully, in Africa, it will be able to
be produced for in the order of a few dollars.“
-:Fred Hollows.
In 1981 Fred received the Advanced Australia Award for the
recognition of his dedication and determination and in 1989 on
April 26th he became an Australian citizen.
Despite all the time he spent working he still managed time for
his family and in 1958 got married to Mary Skiller who sadly
died in 1975. Five years later he remarried to Gabi O’Sullivan.
In the 1990’s Fred was awarded a Human Rights
Medal and in the same year was named Australian
of the year as well as given the Advance Australia
Award for medicine and overseas aid. In 1991 he
was the Humanist of the Year and received
honorary citizenship in Eritrea .
In 1992 the establishment of the Fred Hollows
Foundation started and was spread to countries
world wide to help provide eye care for the
unprivileged and poor.
In 1988 Fred and his wife Gabi
were given the sad news that
Fred was diagnosed with cancer.
Fred, knowing he did not have
much longer to live still
continued to try and achieve all
his dreams.
On the 10th of February 1993,
Fred Hollows died peacefully in
the company of his wife and five
children. He was given a state
funeral on the 15th of February
at the St. Mary’s Cathedral in
Sydney and later taken to Bourke
for burial on the 17th of February
1993.
In 2004, Fred Hollows was acknowledged
for his “Outstanding Contribution and
Achievement” to Indigenous health in
Australia and was placed in the Hall of
Fame. His wife Gabi Hollows received the
award on behalf of her husband, Fred
Hollows.
Fred Hollows was a great man and a great
leader. He proved to not only himself but to
everyone that equality is key, and that
there is no greater joy in life than helping
someone. To him giving thousands of
people in many countries their eyesight
back is the greatest achievement that there
could ever be.
"I have been lucky in that I've been alive at
times when the things that I wanted to do
were capable of being done."
-: Doctor Fred Hollows.
Being an achiever means you are also connected
to the peacemaker and questioner. I do believe
that Fred Hollows is within this circuit.
The reasons behind me thinking that Fred Hollows
is an achiever is because he is motivated by the
need to pursue goals and reward himself and the
world with his gift. He is very sociable because of
the way he inspired people to join in on his
mission and because he enlightened people
everyday whether they were a patient, family
member or friend.
Whenever he was faced with a new challenge he
would always keep a positive frame of mind and
take the challenge head on.
Being connected to the peacemaker and
questioner also means he is able to achieve
personal growth, which is something he definitely
accomplished.