FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE – A Restoration Project

Professor Fred Hollows was a controversial, larger-than-life character – abrasive,
determined, flamboyant and full of contradictions. Some loved him, some hated him.
He lived by the creed that you can “really only accomplish yourself when you get
involved with others’ welfare”. Such involvement is the story of his life and this story
is superbly told in the documentary. The style of this film, like the man, is direct,
forthright, warts and all. While displaying missionary zeal for his work, Hollows
definitely wasn’t a missionary. Rather than conquer and convert, his philosophy was
to train Indigenous people to help themselves. The film includes footage shot during
expeditions to Eritrea, Nepal and Bourke, archival material and interviews. Glimpses
of him at home and on the road, with friends and family, complete the portrait of this
dynamic man. The Hollows’ team arrived in Eritrea just after the country had won a
victory in a 30-year war of independence. With single-minded passion, Hollows
worked with his team to train eye surgeons and establish a factory to manufacture
intra-ocular lenses. In Nepal, plunging valleys and rugged mountain ranges created a
dramatic backdrop to his work in Australian-funded eye camps. Alongside his friend
and protege, Dr Sanduk Ruit, we see Hollows helping to take surgery to remote
villages so cataract-blinded people can receive treatment as good as that available in
the West. From the early 1970s, the film chronicles Hollows’ work to improve the
health of Aborigines – he was a founder of the Aboriginal Medical Service and the
Trachoma Programme. Hollows was often unconventional, with little tolerance for
humbug. Variously described as snarly, insensitive and charming, his outspoken
views on the poor health of Aborigines, AIDS policy and other issues gained him
friends – and trenchant critics. But whatever you think of him, Fred Hollow’s life is
without doubt an inspiration and you cannot remain untouched by his example.