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{{Short description|New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist}}
⚫ {{Use Australian English|date=October 2013}}
{{For|the Sydney Harbour ferry of the same name|Emerald-class ferry}}
⚫ {{Use Australian English|date=November 2020}}
⚫ {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
| name = Fred Hollows | name = Fred Hollows
| honorific_suffix = ]
| image = Fred Hollows.JPG | image = Fred Hollows.JPG
| image_size =
| alt = Fred Hollows | image_size =
| caption = Fred Hollows | alt = Fred Hollows
⚫ | caption =
| birth_name = Frederick Cossom Hollows | birth_name = Frederick Cossom Hollows
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1929|4|9}} | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1929|4|9}}
| birth_place = ], New Zealand | birth_place = ], New Zealand
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1993|2|10|1929|4|9}} | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1993|2|10|1929|4|9}}
| death_place = Randwick, ], Australia | death_place = ], ], Australia
| nationality = ]/]
| education = {{plainlist|
| other_names =
* ]
| spouse = ] (m.1958–1975)<br>] (m.1980–1993)
* ]
⚫ | children = 7 {{citation needed|date=May 2014}}
⚫ | occupation = Ophthalmologist
}} }}
| alma_mater = {{plainlist|
⚫ {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
⚫ * ]
⚫ '''Frederick Cossom "Fred" Hollows''', ] (9 April 1929{{spaced ndash}}10 February 1993) was a ] and ] ] who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for countless thousands of people in Australia and many other countries. It has been estimated that more than one million people in the world can see today because of initiatives instigated by Hollows, the most notable example being ].
* ]
⚫ }}
| nationality = ]/]
| party = ] (1950s–1960s)<ref>{{cite news |date=8 February 2009 |title=Enduring legacy |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/enduring-legacy-20090208-gdtcql.html |work=] |publisher=] |quote=He was a member of the Communist Party in the 1950s and '60s, and was once arrested for protesting against apartheid at a Springbok match. "I was thinking it would have been so fantastic if he'd been around to see Obama," Gabi muses. }}</ref>
⚫ | occupation = {{hlist|Ophthalmologist|Philanthropist}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Mary Skiller|1958|1975|end=d}}
* {{marriage|]|1980|1993}}
}}
⚫ | children = 7{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}
}}
⚫ '''Frederick Cossom Hollows''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AC}} (9 April 1929 – 10 February 1993) was a ] ] who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for people in Australia and many other countries through initiatives such as ].


==Early life== ==Early life==
Fred Hollows was one of the four children in his family, the others being Colin, John and Maurice. All were born in ], ], to Joseph and Clarice (Marshall) Hollows. The family lived in Dunedin for the first seven years of his life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollows.org/Assets/Files/Fact%20Sheet%20Fred%20Hollows.pdf|title=Fact Sheet Fred Hollows|publisher=The Fred Hollows Foundation|accessdate=18 November 2009}}</ref> He had one year of informal primary schooling at ] Primary School and began attending ] when he was 13. Fred Cossom Hollows was the fourth son (the others being Colin, John and Maurice) born at in ], ], to "working class father"- "small-time horticulturalist", formerly a railway fireman, later driver- Joseph Hollows, whose father was of ] origin, and Clarice, daughter of ship's cook Frederick Cossom Marshall, from ].<ref>The Royal College of Physicians and Oxford Brookes University Medical Sciences Video Archive MSVA 069, Professor Fred Hollows AC FRCS in interview with Dr Max Blythe. Oxford, 27 April 1992, Oxford Brookes University, 2012, p. 1</ref> The family lived in Dunedin for the first seven years of his life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollows.org/Assets/Files/Fact%20Sheet%20Fred%20Hollows.pdf|title=Fact Sheet Fred Hollows|publisher=The Fred Hollows Foundation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023024142/http://www.hollows.org/Assets/Files/Fact%20Sheet%20Fred%20Hollows.pdf|archive-date=23 October 2013}}</ref> He had one year of informal primary schooling at ] Primary School and began attending ] when he was 13.{{cn|date=February 2024}}
Hollows received his BA degree from ]. He briefly studied at a seminary, but decided against a life in the clergy. After observing the doctors at a mental hospital during some charity work, he instead enrolled at ]. While living in Dunedin he was an active member of the ] and made several first ascents of mountains in the ] region of ]. Hollows received his BA degree from ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Fred's Ophthalmology Career |url=https://www.hollows.org/au/blog/freds-ophthalmology-career |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=The Fred Hollows Foundation}}</ref> He briefly studied at a seminary, but decided against a life in the clergy. After observing the doctors at a mental hospital during some charity work,{{cn|date=February 2024}} he instead enrolled at ].<ref name=":0" />

While living in Dunedin, he was an active member of the ] and made several first ascents of mountains in the ] region of ]. In 1951, ] was on a test run for Everest, and was backpacking up the ] towards Malte Brun Hut; all five were carrying loads of 70&nbsp;lb (32&nbsp;kg) or more. Hillary was "met by a young man (Hollows) who came bounding down to meet me and offered to carry my load up to the hut. No one had ever offered to carry my load before, but it was too good an offer to refuse. I handed my pack over and saw his legs buckle slightly at the knees.''"''<ref>{{cite book |last= Hillary |first= Edmund |title= View from the Summit |year= 1999 |publisher= Doubleday/Random House |location= Auckland |isbn= 0-908821-09-3 |pages= 69, 70 }}</ref>


Hollows was a member of the ] during the 1950s and 1960s.<ref> – GreenLeft online. 17 February 1993]</ref> Hollows was a member of the ] during the 1950s and 1960s.<ref> – GreenLeft online. 17 February 1993</ref>


Hollows was married twice: in 1958 to ], who died in 1975, and in 1980 to ]. Hollows was married twice: in 1958 to ], who died in 1975{{cn|date=February 2024}}, and in 1980 to ]. He first met Gabi in the early 1970s during her training as an orthoptist, and they later worked together on the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program. They would ultimately found The Fred Hollows Foundation together.


Hollows was originally a New Zealand citizen. He declined the award of honorary Officer of the ] in 1985. He adopted Australian citizenship in 1989 and was named ] in 1990.<ref>{{cite book | author=] | title=Australians of the Year | publisher=Pier 9 Press | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-74196-809-5 }}</ref> He accepted the substantive award of Companion of the Order of Australia in 1991. Hollows was originally a New Zealand citizen. He declined the award of honorary Officer of the ] in 1985. He adopted Australian citizenship in 1989 and was named ] in 1990.<ref>{{cite book | author=Lewis, Wendy | author-link=Wendy Lewis | title=Australians of the Year | publisher=Pier 9 Press | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-74196-809-5 }}</ref> He accepted the substantive award of Companion of the Order of Australia in 1991.


==Medical career== ==Medical career==
In 1961, he went to ] in England to study ]. He then did post-graduate work in ] before moving in 1965 to Australia, where he became associate professor of ophthalmology at the ] in Sydney. From 1965–1992 he chaired the ophthalmology division overseeing the teaching departments at the University of New South Wales, and the ] and ] hospitals. In 1961, he went to ] in England to study ]. He then did post-graduate work in ] before moving in 1965 to Australia, where he became associate professor of ophthalmology at the ] in Sydney. From 1965 to 1992, he chaired the ophthalmology division overseeing the teaching departments at the University of New South Wales, and the ] and ] hospitals.


Early in the 1970s, Hollows worked with the ] at Wave Hill in the Northern Territory and then with the people around ] and other isolated New South Wales towns, stations and Aboriginal communities. He became especially concerned with the high number of Aborigines who had eye disorders, particularly ]. In July 1971, with ] and others, he set up the ] in suburban ] in Sydney, and subsequently assisted in the establishment of medical services for Aboriginal People throughout Australia.<ref>Mum Shirl, ''Mum Shirl: an autobiography'', Mammoth Australia, 1992, pp 107 ISBN 1-86330-144-5</ref> Early in the 1970s, Hollows worked with the ] at Wave Hill in the Northern Territory and then with the people around ] and other isolated New South Wales towns, stations and Aboriginal communities. Inspired by the missionary ophthalmologist ],<ref name=Campion>{{cite book |last=Campion |first=Edmund |author-link=Edmund Campion (historian) |date=2014 |title=Australian Catholic Lives |publisher=David Lovell Publishing |pages=46–48 |chapter=A man of deep respect: Frank Flynn MSC |chapter-url=https://australiancatholichistoricalsociety.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/campionfrankflynn.pdf |isbn=9781863551458}}</ref> he became especially concerned with the high number of Aboriginal people who had eye disorders, particularly ], an eye disease not found elsewhere in the developed world. These visits inspired his life's mission to advocate for better access to eye health and living conditions for Indigenous Australians. In July 1971, with ] and others, he set up the ] in suburban ] in Sydney, and subsequently assisted in the establishment of medical services for Aboriginal People throughout Australia.<ref>Mum Shirl, ''Mum Shirl: an autobiography'', Mammoth Australia, 1992, pp 107 {{ISBN|1-86330-144-5}}</ref>


He was responsible for organising the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists to establish the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program (the "Trachoma Program") 1976–1978, with funding by the Federal Government.<ref>Powerhouse Museum, '' – improving eye health in remote communities'', Accessed 14 August 2008</ref> Hollows himself spent three years visiting Aboriginal communities to provide eye care and carry out a survey of eye defects. More than 460 Aboriginal communities were visited, and 62,000 Aboriginal People were examined, leading to 27,000 being treated for ] and 1,000 operations being carried out.<ref>Hugh R Taylor, '''', Medical Journal of Australia 2001; 175: 371–372, Accessed 13 August 2008</ref> He was responsible for organising the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists to establish the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program (the "Trachoma Program") 1976–1978, with funding by the Federal Government.<ref>Powerhouse Museum, '' – improving eye health in remote communities'', Accessed 14 August 2008</ref> Hollows himself spent three years visiting Aboriginal communities to provide eye care and carry out a survey of eye defects. More than 460 Aboriginal communities were visited, and 62,000 Aboriginal people were examined, leading to 27,000 being treated for ] and 1,000 operations being carried out.<ref>Hugh R Taylor, '''', Medical Journal of Australia 2001; 175: 371–372, Accessed 13 August 2008</ref>


===Overseas work=== ===Overseas work===
His visits to ] in 1985, ] in 1987, and ] in 1991 resulted in training programs to train local technicians to perform eye surgery.<ref>Ruit S, Brian G, Hollows F., ''On the practicalities of eye camp cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation in Nepal'', Ophthalmic Surgery. 1990 Dec;21(12):862-5. {{PMID|2096350}} Accessed 13 August 2008</ref><ref>Fred Hollows and Garry Brain, '''', British Journal of Ophthalmology 1991 January; 75(1): 64. Accessed 13 August 2008</ref> Hollows organised ] laboratories in Eritrea and Nepal to manufacture and provide lenses at cost, which was about A$10 (approximately US$9) each. Both laboratories started production after his death, in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Fred Hollows Foundation|url=http://www.hollows.org.au/fred-hollows/about-fred/foundation|website=www.hollows.org.au}}</ref> His visits to ] in 1985, ] in 1987, and ] in 1991 resulted in training programs to train local technicians to perform eye surgery.<ref>Ruit S, Brian G, Hollows F., ''On the practicalities of eye camp cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation in Nepal'', Ophthalmic Surgery. 1990 Dec;21(12):862-5. {{PMID|2096350}} Accessed 13 August 2008</ref><ref>Fred Hollows and Garry Brain, '''', British Journal of Ophthalmology 1991 January; 75(1): 64. Accessed 13 August 2008</ref> These experiences motivated him to find a way to reduce the cost of eye care and treatment in developing countries. Hollows organised ] laboratories in Eritrea and Nepal to manufacture and provide lenses at cost, which was about A$10 (approximately US$7.50) each. Both laboratories started production after his death, in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Fred Hollows Foundation|url=https://www.hollows.org/us/who-we-are/professor-fred-hollows|website=www.hollows.org.au}}</ref>


] was launched as an Australian charitable foundation in Sydney on 3 September 1992 to continue the work of Fred Hollows in providing eye care for the underprivileged and poor, and to improve the health of indigenous Australians.<ref>Fred Hollows Foundation, '''' Fred Hollows Foundation International Website. Accessed 13 August 2008</ref> The Foundation has also registered as a charity organisation in the United Kingdom where Fred did much of his training, and in his country of birth, New Zealand. ] was launched as an Australian charitable foundation in Sydney on 3 September 1992 to continue the work of Fred Hollows in providing eye care for the underprivileged and poor, and to improve the health of indigenous Australians. The Foundation has also registered as a charity organisation in the United Kingdom where Fred did much of his training, and in his country of birth, New Zealand.


===Opinions regarding HIV/AIDS=== ===Opinions regarding HIV/AIDS===
In 1992, Hollows spoke at the Alice Springs National Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Conference, and argued that some areas of the AIDS campaign were being inadequately dealt with at the time. According to ''The Australian''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Martin Thomas, Hollows stated that some homosexuals were "recklessly spreading the virus"; therefore, the safe sex campaign was an inadequate way of dealing with the issue. To contain the disease, Hollows argued that promiscuity needed to be addressed. Hollows observed the spread of AIDS in contemporary African communities and he was concerned that AIDS would spread as vehemently through Aboriginal communities.<ref></ref><ref> – ADF</ref> In 1992, Hollows spoke at the Alice Springs National Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Conference, and argued that some areas of the AIDS campaign were being inadequately dealt with at the time. According to ''The Australian''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Martin Thomas, Hollows stated that some homosexuals were "recklessly spreading the virus"; therefore, the safe sex campaign was an inadequate way of dealing with the issue. To contain the disease, Hollows argued that promiscuity needed to be addressed. Hollows observed the spread of AIDS in contemporary African communities and he was concerned that AIDS would spread as vehemently through Aboriginal communities.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726133726/http://www.henrythornton.com/article.asp?article_id=4246 |date=26 July 2008 }}</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103100929/http://www.adf.com.au/archive.php?doc_id=100 |date=3 November 2007 }} – ADF</ref>


==Death== ==Death==
Hollows died in ] in 1993 at the age of 63. The cause of his death was ] ] primarily affecting his lungs and brain. He had been diagnosed with the disease six years earlier, in 1987. Upon his death the ], ], described Hollows to her parliamentary colleagues as "''an ] and a self-named ] who wanted to see an end to the economic disparity which exists between the First and Third Worlds and who believed in no power higher than the best expressions of the human spirit found in personal and social relationships.''"<ref>Rosemary Follett, ''ACT Parliamentary Hansard'' 16 February 1993</ref> ]]]Hollows died in ], Australia, in 1993 at the age of 63. The cause of his death was ] ] primarily affecting his lungs and brain. He had been diagnosed with the disease six years earlier, in 1987. Upon his death, the ], ], described Hollows to her parliamentary colleagues as "an ] and a self-named ] who wanted to see an end to the economic disparity which exists between the First and Third Worlds and who believed in no power higher than the best expressions of the human spirit found in personal and social relationships."<ref>Rosemary Follett, ''ACT Parliamentary Hansard'' 16 February 1993</ref>


Hollows was given a state funeral service at ] in Sydney, though he was an atheist,<ref>{{cite news|last=Hildebrand|first=Joe|title=Fred Hollows remembered at ceremony in Bourke|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/a-vision-well-remembered/story-e6freuzi-1111115519873|accessdate=25 May 2013|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 February 2008}}</ref> and, in accordance with his wishes, was interred in ], where he had worked in the early 1970s.<ref> – The Fred Hollows Foundation International</ref> He was survived by his wife ] (an ]), and children Tanya, Ben, Cam, Emma, Anna-Louise, Ruth and Rosa, and his two grandchildren Nicholas and Isabella. Hollows was given a state funeral service at ] in Sydney, though he was an atheist.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hildebrand|first=Joe|title=Fred Hollows remembered at ceremony in Bourke|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/a-vision-well-remembered/story-e6freuzi-1111115519873|access-date=25 May 2013|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 February 2008}}</ref> In accordance with his wishes, he was interred in ], where he had worked in the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollows.org/Fred_Bourke/ |title=Fred in Bourke |publisher=The Fred Hollows Foundation International |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217191557/http://www.hollows.org/Fred_Bourke/ |archive-date=17 February 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> He was survived by his wife ] (an ]), and children Tanya, Ben, Cam, Emma, Anna-Louise, Ruth and Rosa.

A reserve near his old home in the Sydney suburb of ] was named ] in 1993.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} In 1998 the asteroid ] was named after him.


==Recognition and awards== ==Recognition and awards==
{{Div col}}
*1981: ] for Aboriginal eye care. *1981: ] for Aboriginal eye care.
*1985: was a consultant to the ] (WHO). *1985: was a consultant to the ] (WHO).
*1985: offered appointment as an honorary Officer (AO) of the ] but he refused to accept the award because he was appalled at what he regarded as blatant lack of interest by the government in eye care for Aboriginal people. However, he went on to become an Australian citizen on 26 April 1989. *1985: offered appointment as an honorary Officer (AO) of the ] but he refused to accept the award because he was appalled at what he regarded as blatant lack of interest by the government in eye care for Aboriginal people. However, he went on to become an Australian citizen on 26 April 1989.
*1990: received ] *1990: received ]
*1990: named ] *1990: named ]
*1990: received a second ], for Medicine and Overseas Aid *1990: received a second ], for Medicine and Overseas Aid
*1991: named ''Humanist of the Year''<ref>Humanist Society of Victoria '''' Accessed 13 August 2008</ref> *1991: named ''Humanist of the Year''<ref>Humanist Society of Victoria '' {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830035237/http://home.vicnet.net.au/~humanist/resources/aushumanists.html |date=30 August 2007 }}'' Accessed 13 August 2008</ref>
*1991: named a ] by ] *1991: named a ] by ]
*1991: received Honorary Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Science, ] *1991: received Honorary Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Science, ]
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*1993: received the ''Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists Medal'' for his years of distinguished meritorious and selfless service – presented to him the night before he died. *1993: received the ''Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists Medal'' for his years of distinguished meritorious and selfless service – presented to him the night before he died.
*1993: posthumously named a ''Melvin Jones Fellow'' of ]. *1993: posthumously named a ''Melvin Jones Fellow'' of ].
*1993: ] in Hollow's hometown of Randwick, NSW Australia established to preserve a natural rainforest gully and save it from future development. *1993: ] in Hollow's hometown of Randwick, Sydney established to preserve a natural rainforest gully and save it from future development.
*2004: entered into the 'Hall of Fame' at the inaugural NSW Aboriginal Health Awards, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution and achievement to Indigenous health in Australia". *2004: entered into the 'Hall of Fame' at the inaugural NSW Aboriginal Health Awards, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution and achievement to Indigenous health in Australia".
*2005: an operating theatre was named after him at Canberra Eye Hospital, ACT, Australia. *2005: an operating theatre was named after him at Canberra Eye Hospital, ACT, Australia.
*2005: named one of "]" by ]. *2005: named one of "]" by ].
*2006: named one of the "100 most influential Australians" by ] magazine.<ref> – The Bulletin and ]. 27 June 2006</ref> *2006: named one of the "100 most influential Australians" by '']'' magazine.<ref> – The Bulletin and ]. 27 June 2006</ref>
*2010: featured on $1 Coin from the ] as part of the Inspirational Australians Series.<ref> – Coin Update News. 19 July 2010</ref><ref>, Australian Geographic, 8 July 2010</ref> *2010: featured on $1 Coin from the ] as part of the Inspirational Australians Series.<ref> – Coin Update News. 19 July 2010</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Australian Geographic, 8 July 2010</ref>
*2016: The street in a new, developing sub-section in his birthplace Dunedin, called Three Hills, was named Fred Hollows Way, in memory.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/street-named-surgeon|title=Street named for surgeon|newspaper=Otago Daily Times|date=8 September 2016|first=Eileen|last=Goodwin}}</ref>
*2017: ]' ] named ''Fred Hollows''.<ref> '']'' 21 April 2017</ref>
{{Div col end}}

== See also ==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}
{{commons category|Fred Hollows Reserve, Randwick}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Wikiquote}} {{Wikiquote}}
* – The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ *
* – The Fred Hollows Foundation
* *
* *
*Watch clips from the documentary , about Hollows on *Watch clips from the documentary , about Hollows on


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{{Authority control}} {{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
⚫ | NAME = Hollows, Fred
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Hollows, Frederick Cossom (full name)
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = New Zealander and Australian Ophthalmologist founder of the Fred Hollows Foundation
| DATE OF BIRTH = 9 April 1929
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ], New Zealand
| DATE OF DEATH = 10 February 1993
| PLACE OF DEATH = Sydney
⚫ }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollows, Fred}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hollows, Fred}}
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Latest revision as of 04:30, 28 December 2024

New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist For the Sydney Harbour ferry of the same name, see Emerald-class ferry.

Fred HollowsAC
Fred Hollows
BornFrederick Cossom Hollows
(1929-04-09)9 April 1929
Dunedin, New Zealand
Died10 February 1993(1993-02-10) (aged 63)
Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityNew Zealand/Australia
Education
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Ophthalmologist
  • Philanthropist
Political partyCommunist Party of New Zealand (1950s–1960s)
Spouses
Mary Skiller ​ ​(m. 1958; died 1975)​
Gabi O'Sullivan ​ ​(m. 1980⁠–⁠1993)​
Children7

Frederick Cossom Hollows AC (9 April 1929 – 10 February 1993) was a New Zealand–Australian ophthalmologist who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for people in Australia and many other countries through initiatives such as The Fred Hollows Foundation.

Early life

Fred Cossom Hollows was the fourth son (the others being Colin, John and Maurice) born at in Dunedin, New Zealand, to "working class father"- "small-time horticulturalist", formerly a railway fireman, later driver- Joseph Hollows, whose father was of Lancashire origin, and Clarice, daughter of ship's cook Frederick Cossom Marshall, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The family lived in Dunedin for the first seven years of his life. He had one year of informal primary schooling at North East Valley Primary School and began attending Palmerston North Boys' High School when he was 13. Hollows received his BA degree from Victoria University of Wellington. He briefly studied at a seminary, but decided against a life in the clergy. After observing the doctors at a mental hospital during some charity work, he instead enrolled at Otago Medical School.

While living in Dunedin, he was an active member of the New Zealand Alpine Club and made several first ascents of mountains in the Mount Aspiring/Tititea region of Central Otago. In 1951, Edmund Hillary was on a test run for Everest, and was backpacking up the Tasman Glacier towards Malte Brun Hut; all five were carrying loads of 70 lb (32 kg) or more. Hillary was "met by a young man (Hollows) who came bounding down to meet me and offered to carry my load up to the hut. No one had ever offered to carry my load before, but it was too good an offer to refuse. I handed my pack over and saw his legs buckle slightly at the knees."

Hollows was a member of the Communist Party of New Zealand during the 1950s and 1960s.

Hollows was married twice: in 1958 to Mary Skiller, who died in 1975, and in 1980 to Gabi O'Sullivan. He first met Gabi in the early 1970s during her training as an orthoptist, and they later worked together on the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program. They would ultimately found The Fred Hollows Foundation together.

Hollows was originally a New Zealand citizen. He declined the award of honorary Officer of the Order of Australia in 1985. He adopted Australian citizenship in 1989 and was named Australian of the Year in 1990. He accepted the substantive award of Companion of the Order of Australia in 1991.

Medical career

In 1961, he went to Moorfields Eye Hospital in England to study ophthalmology. He then did post-graduate work in Wales before moving in 1965 to Australia, where he became associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. From 1965 to 1992, he chaired the ophthalmology division overseeing the teaching departments at the University of New South Wales, and the Prince of Wales and Prince Henry hospitals.

Early in the 1970s, Hollows worked with the Gurindji people at Wave Hill in the Northern Territory and then with the people around Bourke and other isolated New South Wales towns, stations and Aboriginal communities. Inspired by the missionary ophthalmologist Fr Frank Flynn, he became especially concerned with the high number of Aboriginal people who had eye disorders, particularly trachoma, an eye disease not found elsewhere in the developed world. These visits inspired his life's mission to advocate for better access to eye health and living conditions for Indigenous Australians. In July 1971, with Mum (Shirl) Smith and others, he set up the Aboriginal Medical Service in suburban Redfern in Sydney, and subsequently assisted in the establishment of medical services for Aboriginal People throughout Australia.

He was responsible for organising the Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists to establish the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program (the "Trachoma Program") 1976–1978, with funding by the Federal Government. Hollows himself spent three years visiting Aboriginal communities to provide eye care and carry out a survey of eye defects. More than 460 Aboriginal communities were visited, and 62,000 Aboriginal people were examined, leading to 27,000 being treated for trachoma and 1,000 operations being carried out.

Overseas work

His visits to Nepal in 1985, Eritrea in 1987, and Vietnam in 1991 resulted in training programs to train local technicians to perform eye surgery. These experiences motivated him to find a way to reduce the cost of eye care and treatment in developing countries. Hollows organised intraocular lens laboratories in Eritrea and Nepal to manufacture and provide lenses at cost, which was about A$10 (approximately US$7.50) each. Both laboratories started production after his death, in 1993.

The Fred Hollows Foundation was launched as an Australian charitable foundation in Sydney on 3 September 1992 to continue the work of Fred Hollows in providing eye care for the underprivileged and poor, and to improve the health of indigenous Australians. The Foundation has also registered as a charity organisation in the United Kingdom where Fred did much of his training, and in his country of birth, New Zealand.

Opinions regarding HIV/AIDS

In 1992, Hollows spoke at the Alice Springs National Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Conference, and argued that some areas of the AIDS campaign were being inadequately dealt with at the time. According to The Australian's Martin Thomas, Hollows stated that some homosexuals were "recklessly spreading the virus"; therefore, the safe sex campaign was an inadequate way of dealing with the issue. To contain the disease, Hollows argued that promiscuity needed to be addressed. Hollows observed the spread of AIDS in contemporary African communities and he was concerned that AIDS would spread as vehemently through Aboriginal communities.

Death

Farnham House, the Hollows home in the suburb of Randwick

Hollows died in Sydney, Australia, in 1993 at the age of 63. The cause of his death was metastatic renal cancer primarily affecting his lungs and brain. He had been diagnosed with the disease six years earlier, in 1987. Upon his death, the Chief Minister of the ACT, Rosemary Follett, described Hollows to her parliamentary colleagues as "an egalitarian and a self-named anarcho-syndicalist who wanted to see an end to the economic disparity which exists between the First and Third Worlds and who believed in no power higher than the best expressions of the human spirit found in personal and social relationships."

Hollows was given a state funeral service at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, though he was an atheist. In accordance with his wishes, he was interred in Bourke, where he had worked in the early 1970s. He was survived by his wife Gabi Hollows (an Australian Living Treasure), and children Tanya, Ben, Cam, Emma, Anna-Louise, Ruth and Rosa.

A reserve near his old home in the Sydney suburb of Randwick was named Fred Hollows Reserve in 1993. In 1998 the asteroid 12113 Hollows was named after him.

Recognition and awards

See also

References

  1. "Enduring legacy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 8 February 2009. He was a member of the Communist Party in the 1950s and '60s, and was once arrested for protesting against apartheid at a Springbok match. "I was thinking it would have been so fantastic if he'd been around to see Obama," Gabi muses.
  2. The Royal College of Physicians and Oxford Brookes University Medical Sciences Video Archive MSVA 069, Professor Fred Hollows AC FRCS in interview with Dr Max Blythe. Oxford, 27 April 1992, Oxford Brookes University, 2012, p. 1
  3. "Fact Sheet Fred Hollows" (PDF). The Fred Hollows Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Fred's Ophthalmology Career". The Fred Hollows Foundation. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  5. Hillary, Edmund (1999). View from the Summit. Auckland: Doubleday/Random House. pp. 69, 70. ISBN 0-908821-09-3.
  6. Editorial: Fred Hollows – GreenLeft online. 17 February 1993
  7. Lewis, Wendy (2010). Australians of the Year. Pier 9 Press. ISBN 978-1-74196-809-5.
  8. Campion, Edmund (2014). "A man of deep respect: Frank Flynn MSC" (PDF). Australian Catholic Lives. David Lovell Publishing. pp. 46–48. ISBN 9781863551458.
  9. Mum Shirl, Mum Shirl: an autobiography, Mammoth Australia, 1992, pp 107 ISBN 1-86330-144-5
  10. Powerhouse Museum, National Trachoma and Eye Health Program 1976 – improving eye health in remote communities, Accessed 14 August 2008
  11. Hugh R Taylor, Trachoma in Australia, Medical Journal of Australia 2001; 175: 371–372, Accessed 13 August 2008
  12. Ruit S, Brian G, Hollows F., On the practicalities of eye camp cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation in Nepal, Ophthalmic Surgery. 1990 Dec;21(12):862-5. PMID 2096350 Accessed 13 August 2008
  13. Fred Hollows and Garry Brain, Eye surgery in Eritrea, British Journal of Ophthalmology 1991 January; 75(1): 64. Accessed 13 August 2008
  14. "The Fred Hollows Foundation". www.hollows.org.au.
  15. The Hissink File – August 2006 Archived 26 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  16. AIDS – Have we got it Right? Archived 3 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine – ADF
  17. Rosemary Follett, ACT Parliamentary Hansard 16 February 1993
  18. Hildebrand, Joe (11 February 2008). "Fred Hollows remembered at ceremony in Bourke". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  19. "Fred in Bourke". The Fred Hollows Foundation International. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012.
  20. Humanist Society of Victoria Australian Humanists of the Year Archived 30 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 13 August 2008
  21. The 100 most influential Australians – The Bulletin and The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 June 2006
  22. Fred Hollows Featured on Australian $1 Coin – Coin Update News. 19 July 2010
  23. Fred Hollows coin released, Australian Geographic, 8 July 2010
  24. Goodwin, Eileen (8 September 2016). "Street named for surgeon". Otago Daily Times.
  25. Incat ferries bound for Denmark & Sydney Harbour The Mercury 21 April 2017

External links

Winners of the Australian of the Year Award
1960s
1970s
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