born on 9 April 1929 at Dunedin in New Zealand. Came to Australia to work at the
University of New South Wales in 1965.
My name is Fred Hollows and I represent ‘Australians All’ because of my work
amongst Aboriginal communities. On a visit to the Gurindji people in 1968, I was so
shocked by the appalling conditions in which they lived, and the extent of eye disease
throughout their community, I dedicated myself to improving health of Indigenous
Australians. In 1971, I helped to set up the Aboriginal Medical Health Service in Redfern,
Sydney. Then, with money from the federal government, I organised and led the National
Trachoma and Eye Health Program. Trachoma is an eye disease that makes your eyes feel as
if they are full of sand. If it is not treated, it eventually causes blindness. Thanks to
the program, my mobile medical team treated many thousands of Aboriginal people who were
suffering from trachoma. The National Trachoma and Eye Health Program was so successful, I
helped to set up similar programs in Vietnam, Nepal and Eritrea.
1901-2001 Centenary of
Federation