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Gabrielle Beryl HollowsAO (néeO'Sullivan; 21 May 1953) is an Australianorthoptist. AnAustralian Living Treasure, she has also been awarded theAdvance Australia Award for Community Service, and madePaul Harris Fellow byRotary International. She was married to the Australian ophthalmologistFred Hollows from 1980 until his death in 1993.
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Hollows was born inNewcastle, New South Wales, and raised on an orchard nearGosford on theCentral Coast of New South Wales. She first became interested in medicine when she had eye surgery at the age of three.
In 1972, Hollows graduated as anorthoptist from the NSW School of Orthoptics, specialising in disorders of eye movements and associated vision problems. During her orthoptic training she metFred Hollows and joined him on the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program which aimed to survey and treat Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians suffering eye conditions including trachoma. Over a period of three years, they visited over 465 remote communities and treated more than 100,000 people.[1] They married in 1980 and had five children. She worked with Fred until his death in 1993, and continued his work afterwards throughThe Fred Hollows Foundation, both overseas and in Australia.[2][3] In 1996, she married lawyer John Balazs.[4]
In 2001, Hollows was awarded theCentenary Medal for services to community welfare and development.[5]
In the 2013 Queens Birthday Honours List, Gabi Hollows was made anOfficer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to public health as an advocate for the eradication of blindness, particularly for Indigenous Australians and people in the developing world."[6]
In the 2021 Impact 25 Awards, Gabi Hollows was named one of the top 25 Australians creating positive change. She was also awarded the Judge's Choice Award for Collaboration.[7]