Tuesday 4 October 2011

charles 6E

Fred Hollows


Fred Hollows was born in New Zealand in 1929. Fred decided to become a doctor and eventually specialise in eye surgery.
Fred came to austrlaia because he wanted to be an eye doctor In 1960, he came to australia by plane and got a job. Five years later he was head of the Eye Department at a Sydney hospital.
Fred always believed strongly in equality for all people. He was told about the need for Aboriginal health services in Sydney. He took up the cause, and helped set up the first Aboriginal Medical Service.One thing really shocked Fred. He discovered that almost all Aboriginal people in outback communities had eye diseases. Diseases caused by dirty conditions and poor health. Problems that could be easily avoided.

In the 1970's, he helped launch a national program to attack eye disease in Aboriginal Australians.
Fred was great at inspiring people. He got doctors to give their time to the program. Many other people volunteered.

In three years the team travelled all over outback Australia. It treated 30,000 people, performed a thousand operations and prescribed more than 10,000 pairs of glasses.

Fred Hollows became to be known as the 'wild colonial boy' of Australian surgery, partly because he had a deep love of the bush, and also because he had a wild temper.                 

Fred believed in helping people to help themselves. He had no time for anyone who stood between him and his goals.
 by 1989 Fred Hollows knew he wouldn't live to see all his ideas happen. He was dying of cancer.

In 1993 Fred died at home surrounded by his friends, his wife and their five children.


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