11 times Fred Hollows was remembered

On 10 February, 1993, the world lost an amazing champion of eye health and equal rights. Fred Hollows’ death was met with an outpouring of emotion that saw him receive a State funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. He was remembered in newspapers across the globe, in the Australian parliament, and in the hearts of many.

Here are 11 of the things said about him after his passing.

*COVER PHOTO: National Library of Australia

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The Canberra Times
The Independent
British Journal of Ophthalmology
Prime Minister Paul Keating
Opposition Leader John Hewson
Nationals Leader Tim Fischer
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Robert Tickner
Labor MP Bob Brown
Liberal MP David Connolly
National Museum Australia
The Biography of Fred Hollows

PHOTO CREDIT: The Canberra Times

"Fred Hollows was a very Australian hero: egalitarian, not remote, a bit of a larrikin, but a professional who put his energies into social concerns rather than the accumulation of wealth, who spoke in the vernacular and spared no-one, least of all himself, when things had to be done."

- Jack Waterford, The Canberra Times

Read the full obituary for Fred Hollows from The Canberra Times.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Stephen Ellison

"A straight-talking, irascible man and fine surgeon, (who) worked tirelessly for many years… at his self-imposed task of bringing modern health care to those who do not receive it."

- Michael Johnson, The Independent

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PHOTO CREDIT: Leon Cebon

"Fred Hollows was no dry, dusty academic but had considerable style and joie de vivre."

- Biniam Ghebremedhin, British Journal of Ophthalmology

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PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Solness

"Personal recognition mattered little to him. [Fred] was very much more concerned with getting the job done, with creating change and making people take notice of what was happening, both in their own backyards and the world at large."

- Prime Minister Paul Keating

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PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Rayner

"Fred Hollows was a real hero who was truly loved and, if he was not loved, he was always respected and admired."

- Opposition Leader John Hewson

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PHOTO CREDIT: Gerrit Fokkema / Fairfax photos

"Fred Hollows spoke out without fear, with selflessness, as an enigmatic humanitarian whose life shone above the average, above the conventional and above the staid. He had a benchmark against which we can all measure our own failures, our own selfishness and our own narrowness."

- Nationals Leader Tim Fischer

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PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Campbell / Newspix

"Fred Hollows, above all else, was the living manifestation of a goal that we all ought to at least try to achieve in our lives and that is to leave this place in a better condition than we found it."

- Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Robert Tickner

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PHOTO CREDIT: Don't Stop Us Now

"Fred Hollows was not a great man; he was an ordinary man who did great things."

- Labor MP Bob Brown

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PHOTO CREDIT: Colin Townsend / Fairfax photos

"[Fred] believed that where we have skills, in whatever field they may be, those skills must be put to the benefit of humanity."

- Liberal MP David Connolly

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PHOTO CREDIT: Actuaries Digital

"Fred Hollows was a passionate campaigner for the need to improve the health of Indigenous Australians."

- National Museum Australia

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PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Amendolia

"Fred Hollows… was a life-bringer and gave hope to those who were less fortunate than him."

- Kurt Lam, The Biography of Fred Hollows

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Learn more

If these memories of Fred have inspired you and you'd like to know more about him, his work and his legacy, you can read more...

about Fred Hollows' final years
about Fred's life
about the work of The Foundation he started

A little bit of colour

Thanks for making it all the way to the bottom of the page. Here's a little something extra about Fred - a pdf colouring-in page of Fred for you to download.

You can also download a jpeg of F is for Fred from the Aussie Legends Alphabet by Beck Feiner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Perkins - The Fred Hollows Foundation

Matthew is The Fred Hollows Foundation's social media specialist. After realising he was paying his way through a psychology degree with media work, Matthew decided to take a crack at working as ABC Radio’s online and on-air producer in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. He figured, ‘why not make a stab of it as a career?!’

From Kalgoorlie, Matthew found his way to Perth and then on to Sydney, helping to establish the social media presence of both 702 ABC Sydney and ABC current affairs program, 7:30.

These days, Matthew uses those skills in the campaign to end avoidable blindness