Fred Hollows

Fred Hollows was a leader for changing millions of lives around the world and by doing that
he made a difference. He helped a lot of people from the poorest countries from countries
that are world torn to improve worlds vision.
Fred Hollows was born on April 9, 1929 in Dunedin, New Zealand. He had three brothers Colin,
John and Maurice. (Fred was the second child) His mother and fathers name were Clarice
and Joseph. When Fred was seven he moved to Sydney because his parents got a job there.
He went to North East Valley Primary School. When he was thirteen he went to North Boys
High School. Fred wanted to become a minister, until he found his love in science. A year
after he finished High School he had a summer job which was working in a mental hospital.
Fred Hollows moves to New Zealand so that he can go to the University that he wanted to go
to. He went to Victoria University of Wellington. At the university he studied psychology to
learn how our brain works. On his holidays he worked in the bush and whenever he had time
off he would go rock climbing. Between 1951 and 1955 Fred went to medical school in
Otago, New Zealand. In the years 1955 and 1956 he worked in Wellington Hospital. In 1957 to
1960 he worked as a surgeon at Auckland Hospital. In 1958 he married Mary Skiller. He then
moved to the United Kingdom. He studied Ophthalmology at Moorefield Hospital in 1961. He
then moved to Australia in N.S.W and worked as an eye doctor in 1961 to 1964. In 1965 to
1992 Fred was the Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of N.S.W. In 1975 his wife Mary
Skiller passed away. In Sydney he was aware of the need of an Aboriginal Health Service. He
set up an Aboriginal Medical Centre in Redfern in the 1970s; all of its services were free.
Fred set up the National Trachoma and Eye Health program. From 1976 to 1978 his team
tested 100,000 people, 60% were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders. It halved the number of
people in these communities who were blind from a curable disease.
Fred heard about the war in Eritrea, Africa. There were no eye doctors there and two and a
half million people were going blind each year in 1987. Fred assembled a team to go and
help doctors operate. Sometimes they have to work in caves so that no bombs drop
overhead. Fred then set up an eye lens factory with donations from Australians.
In 1976 he met Gabi OSullivan during training. In 1980 he married Gabi OSullivan. During the
1980s he went all around the world to help people in need. In 1989 Fred Hollows was
diagnosed with lung cancer. 3 years later, he set up the Fred Hollows Foundation to make
sure that his work continued after his death.
Fred Hollows died in 1993 in New Zealand.
The Fred Hollows Foundation continues his work today. 32 million people around the world
are blind, 4 out of 5 dont have to be. 19 countries need help Africa, South East Asia
including Nepal and Australian Indigenous communities.


Roslind Pagsolingan 6M 31 3 - 14