Photo courtesy of Sandy Scheltema/The Age

Fred tops list of great Australian ‘doers'

Professor Fred Hollows is still admired as an inspirational ‘doer', 17 years after his death.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Ellison/Outline.
Fred Hollows examines the eyes of an Indigenous Australian. Photo Stephen Ellison/Outline
"I believe that the basic attribute of mankind is to look after each other." – Fred Hollows

A survey list compiled by AGL Energy shows that Australians are most inspired by those who help others, with Fred Hollows taking out the top spot.

Gabi Hollows said she is amazed that 17 years after his death, her husband would still be inspiring so many people.

"Fred was definitely a doer," she said. "He always believed in finishing jobs that you start and doing a good job of it.

"Even the small things people do can make changes for the better. Fred knew this. Australians have been giving The Fred Hollows Foundation spare change for years and because of this we have been able to restore sight around the world to well over a million people."  

The first six in the AGL survey list are either medical professionals, or people known for their charitable work supporting medical research. They include heart specialist the late Dr Victor Chang, burns specialist Prof. Fiona Wood and cancer specialist Prof. Chris O'Brien. More than 1000 people took part in the survey.

Fred held a special place in the hearts of many. According to Gabi, he meant many things to different people. He was a husband, a father, a friend, a skilled ophthalmologist and, for a few politicians and bureaucrats, an irritating thorn in their side. But above all he was a humanitarian, which made him a terrific doctor. He truly believed it was the role of the doctor to serve, to help those in need.

Testament to the legacy of a truly great Australian, The Foundation continues to transform lives by restoring sight in the developing world, delivering eye and other health services in partnership with Indigenous Australians, and working with global partnerships towards eliminating avoidable blindness.

 Last year alone, The Foundation:

  • Performed 176,472 eye operations and treatments - up from 143,759 in 2007
  • Provided eye care for over 1.3 million people
  • Trained 5,217 eye health workers - up from 3,284 in 2007

Of the 45 million people in the world who are blind, 3 out of 4 cases can be overcome either through prevention or cure. Up to 50 per cent of cases are due to cataract blindness, a condition that can be overcome through a relatively simple operation costing as little as $25 in some countries.