Fred Hollows

Fred was born in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1929. Growing up, he always wanted to be a missionary, but after spending some time working in a mental hospital he was convinced to follow a career in medicine. After completing his studies and specialising as an ophthalmologist (eye doctor), Fred moved to Australia. Within five years he was head of the Eye Department at a leading Sydney hospital. While working in Sydney, Fred became aware of the need for an Aboriginal health service and set about establishing the first Aboriginal Medical Service. In 2005, there were more than 60 of these health services throughout Australia. It was through his work with the service and his travels to remote aboriginal settlements that Fred became aware of some of the serious health issues facing aboriginal people – particularly trachoma and other avoidable eye diseases. The fact that these diseases were easily avoided, often went completely untreated and resulted in blindness shocked Fred and so began his life's work. Fred was a man who was quick to recognise a problem and even quicker to act and find a solution. This attitude helped him to inspire many doctors and other health professionals to volunteer their time for his national program to attack eye disease in Indigenous Australians. Thousands of people were screened and treated for eyes disease and their blindness was cured. Fred then heard about a civil war in Eritrea in Africa and how there were no eye doctors to treat the people who were suffering. At the time, Eritrea was one of the world's poorest countries and once again, Fred could not just stand by and do nothing. 'Each year in Africa about two and a half million people go blind...and they just go blind... they sit around in their huts,' he said at the time. So again he mobilised a team to go over and help. By the 1980s, Fred had extended his campaign for treating avoidable eye disease and was soon travelling all over the world. A great believer in helping people to help themselves, Fred set up eye clinics in some of the world's poorest countries. At these clinics he not only treated people suffering from eye diseases, but also taught local doctors how to treat these diseases so they could continue his work. As word of his work spread, more and more Australians volunteered their time and donated money so Fred could continue to establish his clinics in developing countries around the world. His dream of setting up an eye lens factory in Eritrea became a reality when Australians donated more than $6 million to the cause. Fred's dream was to continue to his work, so when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, he set about ensuring the dream would stay alive. The Fred Hollows Foundation was established in 1992 and when Fred died in 1993, his wife Gabby continued the work of the Foundation. Fred was given a state funeral service at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney Although most people think of Fred's legacy as the gift of sight to some of the world's poorest people, perhaps his real legacy is showing us just what a difference we can all make to the world and how important it is to care. In his words, 'To my mind, having a care and concern for others is the highest of the human qualities.' THANK GOD FOR FRED’S FAITHFUL ATTENTION TO THOSE WITH EYE DISEASES