Fred Hollows

Fred met his wife, Gabi O’Sullivan during his training in orthoptics in the early 1970’s, and they continued to work together at the ‘Prince of Wales Hospital’. They got married after ten years of courtship.

After fighting a long battle with renal cancer he succumbed to death as the disease affected his lungs and brain. The philanthropic doctor breathed his last on 10 February, 1993.

Fred Hollows was born to Joseph and Clarice Hollows on April 9, 1929 in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he continued to live for his first seven years of life. He was the middle child, with three brothers: Colin, John and Maurice.

As a young boy, he attended ‘Northeast Valley Primary School’ in New Zealand. At the age of 13, he began his high school education at ‘Palmerston North Boys’ High School’.

He was impacted greatly by his father’s empathy for humanity. His dad was a Christian Marxist who believed everyone should receive a fair wage for their work. It was this beginning that would later influence Fred to bring medical care to the poor.

Growing up, his parents were very religious, encouraging Fred to become a missionary. He even attended seminary for a short time to live out this dream.

After working a summer job in a mental hospital in Porirua, he realized that he wanted to help people in another way. He decided to get his BA degree at ‘Victoria University of Wellington’ and complete his medical degree from ‘Otega Medical School’.

Fred Hollows’ first job after medical school was at the ‘Auckland Public Hospital’, where he was able to assist eye surgeons.

He continued to advance his knowledge in ophthalmology at ‘Tauranga Public Hospital’, where he assisted in operations and eventually performed cataract surgeries independently. He dreamed of one day helping the poor in Africa, and because there is a lot of cataract blindness in Africa, he wanted to become proficient at treating this disorder.

He gained experience in the latest medical technology at one of the largest hospitals in the country, ‘Wellington’. It was here that the first retinal camera was used.

He quickly realized he would need more specialized education in order to reach his dream of helping the poor. In 1961, he began his post-graduate training at ‘Moorfields Eye Hospital’, one of the top training hospitals for ophthalmology in London, England.

He completed his fellowship at the ‘Royal College of Surgeons’ and began working as an ophthalmology registrar in the ‘Royal Infirmary’ in Wales. It was here, in Wales, that he met his mentor, Professor Archie Cochrane.

Fred Hollow’s lifelong work is continued on through the many clinics he established for the underprivileged and the ‘Fred Hollows Foundation’.