Gabi Hollows: Fred Hollows Foundation
It’s been 23 years since celebrated Kiwi eye surgeon Fred Hollows died of cancer, but his widow Gabi still sees his face everywhere.
It’s hard not to – his portrait is plastered on bus stops and alongside bequests for the Fred Hollows Foundation – you’ll even see his name on the back of rickshaws in Bangladesh.
Long after his death at the age of 63, Fred lives on.
“It’s a wonderful thing because it means his living memory is still alive,” says Gabi, who set up the charity with her husband when he was diagnosed with cancer.
Fred’s dream was to restore sight and end avoidable blindness among the poorest of the poor – those in developing countries who don’t have access to eye care.
Since his death in 1993, Gabi has worked tirelessly for the foundation. They’ve helped millions of visually impaired people around the world by establishing labs, clinics and training doctors to work in 26 countries from the Pacific to Africa.
Gabi has since remarried, tying the knot with John Balasz, a lawyer from Sydney, in 1996.
“John often says he sees more of Fred than he does of me!” she laughs. “He’s been the most amazing husband – I couldn’t have done what I do without his help.”
Together, the couple raised six children, the five she had with Fred – Emma (41), Cam (34), Anna-Louise (29), and twins Ruth and Rosa (26) – as well as John’s daughter Kate.
“Our door was always open – when doctors came overseas to train with Fred, they often stayed with us,” reveals Gabi. “This continued long after he died.”
Fortunately, their home, Farnham House, where Gabi still lives with John and Guinness, their border collie, is a sprawling mansion in Sydney’s Randwick. Her children have all since left the nest and are working all over the world – something that keeps Gabi up at all hours.
“I always say you’re awake more when they’re big than when they’re babies!” she jokes. “They’re travelling all over the world and you know two in the morning for me is three hours behind for Emma who’s working in Malaysia, and 16 hours behind for some of the others.”
She likes to keep her family’s lives private, as the Hollows name comes with a certain amount of attention.
“Cam, my son, he did medicine and you kind of have to turn your name tag around because people automatically assume he’s an eye doctor,” she tells, but pride swells in her voice when she speaks of her children.
“They’ve all grown into amazing, compassionate, bright people – I attribute that to all the wonderful people they had around them growing up.”
Like their parents, they’ve all gone on to pursue careers that give back in some way.
Ruth and Rosa Hallows
While Cam is a doctor, Emma is an environmental scientist and Anna-Louise a nurse. Rosa studied carpentry and hopes to give aid to development projects overseas, while Ruth currently works in IT, but wants to become a project manager for a non-profit organisation.
To make a donation and help the Fred Hollows Foundation end blindness around the world, call 0800 227 229
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