Fred's Final Years
Professor Fred Hollows was diagnosed with cancer in the late ’80s but continued his work restoring sight and training eye care professionals. Before he died, Fred, Gabi and their closest friends wanted to ensure his work would live on by setting up The Fred Hollows Foundation.
Professor Fred Hollows was taken from us too soon at the age of 63 on 10 February, 1993. He passed away at his home, Farnham House in Randwick, Sydney. He was surrounded by his family and friends.
Fred was given a State Funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney with thousands of people gathering to farewell him as he made his way to his final resting place.
Having worked closely with Indigenous Australian communities, Fred had developed a strong affection for the land and people of Bourke, NSW. His final wish was to be buried there so he could stay connected to the red earth he had fallen in love with.
“I like the Australian outback... And I like the people of Bourke because it's just sort of good honest eye work and the people of Bourke seem to like the service we give them."
- Fred Hollows
The original gravestone was replaced with a new granite sculpture in 2006. Commissioned by the Hollows family, the simple sculpture was created by Austrian sculptor Andreas Buisman, and made possible through the generous support of friends, the Bourke Shire Council and the local community.
Gabi Hollows encourages everyone to visit Fred’s resting place, which is under a coolabah tree, and feel the serenity of the land. She also urges everyone to clean the area of any fallen leaves or twigs, and to raise a toast to Fred.
Learn more about the sculpture
There's a special reason Fred Hollows' resting place is in Bourke, far west New South Wales, and why it is covered by a giant black rock.
Find out here and see more of Fred's story on our YouTube channel.
Fred was a humanitarian until the end
Before he passed away, Fred was very accepting of death, saying: “I don’t think dying’s such a terrible business... I’ve had a fair suck of the pomegranate.”
He never expected any special treatment or a good behaviour pass.
Even though he had dedicated his life to the service of others, and achieved so much for people in need the world over, he never considered his lot in life to be unfair. In fact, when he was diagnosed with metastatic renal cancer, he said: “Why should I be spared cancer when so many other people have it?”
Fred was simply focused on rolling up his sleeves and getting the job done until the very end.
“To my regret, mountain climbing and bike riding are definitely out, but the establishment of the Eritrean lens factory seems like an attainable goal."
- Fred Hollows
While Fred set in motion local training, he sadly never got to see the Eritrean or Nepalese lens factories. However, his dream came true and the factories have gone on to produce millions of cost-effective intraocular lenses for cataract surgeries in more than 70 countries.
As well as the Nepal IOL factory, Fred mentored his great friend, Dr Sanduk Ruit, and helped set in motion plans for the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology.
Close friend of Fred, Dr Sanduk Ruit and Tilganga Institute of Opthalmology staff at the annual eye camp at the Pullahari Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Photograph: Michael Amendolia (2019)
Fred was altruistic until the very end, always putting the greater good at the forefront of everything he did.
In the last few months of his life, he discharged himself (against medical advice) from hospital to keep his promise to train 300 Vietnamese eye surgeons.
Because to Fred, a promise was a promise. He was also a strong believer in self-determination and “teaching the teachers first, so they could teach others.”
Watch the video of Vietnamese eye surgeon, Dr Pham Binh, who was one of the 300 medical staff to receive their training from Fred and his team.
Dr Binh says: “... he didn’t eat, he didn’t sleep and he was sick but he was still passionate about training us…”
Fred lived by the motto “leave the world a better place”, and he did everything in his power to do just that.
While the training wasn’t finished when Fred died, Gabi returned to Vietnam five weeks after Fred’s funeral to assure the trainees and the government that The Foundation would keep Fred’s promise.
His legacy lives on through The Fred Hollows Foundation. We aim to epitomise Fred’s motto in all our work, and keep his vision alive of a world where nobody is needlessly blind.
In Vietnam alone, The Foundation not only trained those 300 surgeons, but today has trained more than 1,000 surgeons.
“Gabi, it doesn't matter if I dided tomorrow, I know you and all those people who believe in what I believe in, will carry on."
- Fred Hollows
Fred is survived by his wife Gabi Hollows, and his children; Ben, Tanya, Cam, Emma, Anna-Louise, Rosa and Ruth.
Do you have a Fred story you'd like to share with us?
We love hearing from our readers and supporters who had a personal connection with Fred. Do you have a memory from Fred’s final years you’d like to share? Get in touch by contacting us on our website or on our Facebook page.
Fred during his last visit to Vietnam in 1992 | Photograph: Michael Amendolia
Meet Fred Hollows
Fred Hollows was a man who got things done. A passionate eye doctor and humanitarian, Fred always pushed for change and tackled injustice head on.
Today The Fred Hollows Foundation now works in more than 25 countries and has restored sight to over two million people worldwide.
Check out our YouTube channel for more videos about the work we do around the world.
COVER PHOTO: Fred Hollows at Bondi Beach in Sydney (NSW, Australia) in 1991 | PHOTOGRAPHER: Oliver Strewe