She was known as the ‘Saint of Addis Ababa’ for her work helping African women overcome debilitating birth injuries.
Hamlin and her husband Reginald Hamlin co-founded six clinics that offered free repair surgery for women suffering from obstetric fistula, a condition caused by difficult childbirth.
She spent the past 61 years living in Ethiopia providing the free treatment which has benefitted more than 60,000 Ethiopian women.
Dr Hamlin was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1983 and in was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia in 1995 for “service to gynaecology in developing countries, particularly in the field of fistula surgery and for humanitarian service to improving the health dignity and self-esteem of women in Ethiopia”.
She was nominated for the Novel Peace Prize in 1999, and also in 2014.
“To say Catherine was a remarkable woman is an understatement. In our eyes, she is a saint. She was much-admired for her work in Australia and globally,” said Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation CEO Carolyn Hardy in an obituary.
“We are all committed to ensuring Catherine’s dream to eradicate obstetric fistula in Ethiopia becomes a reality.”
