Fred Hollows
Why is Fred Hollows buried out the back of Bourke?
Fred Hollows is famous all around the world for his sight-restoring work, but we often get asked questions about lesser-known parts of his work and his life. One of those questions is: where is Fred Hollows buried, and why is he buried there? Here are the answers...
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1. When did Fred pass away?
Professor Fred Hollows passed away on 10 February 1993 at the age of 63.
He was diagnosed with metastatic renal cancer in 1987, with it affecting his lungs and brain.
Fred had this to say about his diagnosis: "The gift of life has been given to me with an abundance known to very few. So, I can have no complaints about the hand that I've been dealt."
He passed away at home surrounded by his wife, children and close friends.
Photo credit: Michael Amendolia
2. What was Fred's funeral like?
Fred Hollows was given a State Funeral service at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney on 15 February 1993.
The funeral procession travelled down College Street in Sydney from the cathedral and the street was filled by the crowds there to pay respect to Fred.
Notable attendees at the funeral included then Prime Minister Paul Keating, the Opposition Leader John Hewson, and former PM Bob Hawke, who had presented Fred with his Australian of the Year award in 1991.
Fred's coffin was then loaded onto a plane in Sydney and flown to Bourke, in north-west NSW.
The funeral procession travelled down College Street in Sydney from the cathedral and the street was filled by the crowds there to pay respect to Fred.
Notable attendees at the funeral included then Prime Minister Paul Keating, the Opposition Leader John Hewson, and former PM Bob Hawke, who had presented Fred with his Australian of the Year award in 1991.
Fred's coffin was then loaded onto a plane in Sydney and flown to Bourke, in north-west NSW.
Photo credit: Ken Maurer / Maurer and Bracks Funerals
3. Where is Fred buried?
On 16 February, 1993, Fred was laid to rest at Bourke Historic Cemetery.
Gabi placed a locally hand-woven Aboriginal cloth over Fred's coffin for the journey from the airport to the gravesite and it's still with her today at Farnham House.
Once interred, Fred's grave had local stones and native flowers placed on top.
Gabi placed a locally hand-woven Aboriginal cloth over Fred's coffin for the journey from the airport to the gravesite and it's still with her today at Farnham House.
Once interred, Fred's grave had local stones and native flowers placed on top.
Photo credit: Andrew Williams
Photo credit: Andreas Buisman
4. Why is he buried in Bourke?
"I've fallen deeply in love with this great, concave continent and I want to be buried in the Bourke cemetery. That's the closest bit of 'real Australia' to here," Fred said.
Fred's work in remote Aboriginal communities through the 1970s took him to and beyond Bourke.
It held a special place in his heart from then, and we continue his connection to the place by continuing to work in and around the region.
Fred's work in remote Aboriginal communities through the 1970s took him to and beyond Bourke.
It held a special place in his heart from then, and we continue his connection to the place by continuing to work in and around the region.
Fred Hollows at Bourke Hospital. Photo credit: Colin Murty/Newspix
5. What is Fred's burial site like?
When you visit Fred's resting place in Bourke, you drive through the cemetery's gates and are surrounded by the red dirt that Fred so loved.
Ahead of you is a group of gum trees that shade a large piece of dark, smooth, shiny granite.
It was created by Austrian sculptor Andreas Buisman and replaced the original gravestone in February 2006 after he was commissioned to make it by the Hollows family.
"The idea was to make a rock that was convex and, therefore, from all directions that you approach it, would have a reflection on to you," Mr Buisman explains.
"The sun, the light always comes back on to you... like a beacon light, referring to an intraocular lens," he adds.
The intraocular lens is used in cataract surgery to replace the cloudy lens and the cheaper production of this small piece of plastic is how surgery is possible for as little as $25 in some places and is how Fred helped to change the world of eye health.
Around the rest of the site there are boulders from nearby Mt Oxley laid out in the shape of an eye and a sandstone monolith that was carved by local Aboriginal artists, international sculptors and Bourke residents. On this memorial there is a plaque that reads, "Fred Hollows, eye doctor. The key he used to undo locks was vision for the poor" from a poem written by NSW bush poet Bruce Walker.
All these elements together make for a magical site well worth visiting.
Ahead of you is a group of gum trees that shade a large piece of dark, smooth, shiny granite.
It was created by Austrian sculptor Andreas Buisman and replaced the original gravestone in February 2006 after he was commissioned to make it by the Hollows family.
"The idea was to make a rock that was convex and, therefore, from all directions that you approach it, would have a reflection on to you," Mr Buisman explains.
"The sun, the light always comes back on to you... like a beacon light, referring to an intraocular lens," he adds.
The intraocular lens is used in cataract surgery to replace the cloudy lens and the cheaper production of this small piece of plastic is how surgery is possible for as little as $25 in some places and is how Fred helped to change the world of eye health.
Around the rest of the site there are boulders from nearby Mt Oxley laid out in the shape of an eye and a sandstone monolith that was carved by local Aboriginal artists, international sculptors and Bourke residents. On this memorial there is a plaque that reads, "Fred Hollows, eye doctor. The key he used to undo locks was vision for the poor" from a poem written by NSW bush poet Bruce Walker.
All these elements together make for a magical site well worth visiting.
Photo credit: Matthew Perkins
Cover photo credit: The Fred Hollows Foundation