Fred Hollows

Bob Riley once said, “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the hero is revealed.” A hero must possess different qualities such as determination and bravery. A hero may be known around the world or could be personal to you. Another requirement a hero must have is to be extraordinary, affecting the lives of others. Fred Hollows, an ophthalmologist from Australia, is considered a hero.

Fred Hollows was born on April 9, 1929 in Dunedin, New Zealand and died February 10, 1993. He moved to Sydney, Australia at a young age. He graduated college from the University of New South Wales with a degree in ophthalmology. Fred Hollows did most of his work in restoring eyesight in Australia, but he also did work in other countries such as Nepal, Vietnam, and Eritrea, Ethiopia.

My hero had many accomplishments, but the most important one was he gave eyesight back to the Aboriginal people and the poor people. He was concerned with the high number of Aboriginal people who had eye defects, trachoma in particular, which causes blindness if it is not treated quickly. It has been estimated that he gave eyesight back to over one million people. He established medical services for Aboriginal people in Australia. He spent three years visiting Aboriginal communities to give eye care and to make a survey of eye defects. Fred Hollows won three awards for his work. He won the Advanced Australia Award in 1981, the Human Rights Medal in 1990, and the Humanist of the Year Award in 1991.

Fred Hollows is a hero to many because he had the qualities of compassion, selflessness, and commitment. Fred was compassionate because he felt bad for the Aboriginal and poor people, so he tried to find cures for their eye problems. Fred was selfless because he devoted his time to help the Aboriginal and poor. He was committed because he spent three years making one survey of the eye defects so he could help. As he once said, “When I’ve seen an opportunity I haven’t sat down and called a committee meeting... we’ve gone and done it.” He did it!

In conclusion, a hero is someone who is a role model. A hero possesses different qualities and is known around the world by people, but personal to others. A hero also affects the lives of others and is extraordinary. Fred Hollows was a great ophthalmologist from Australia who tried to help the Aboriginal and poor people get the eye care they deserved. He was a real hero.