I met Dr Hamlin 6 years ago just after her 90th Birthday when she decided not to perform surgery anymore. My husband Prem & I were invited to afternoon tea in her home on the grounds of the hospital in Addis Ababa. She had baked a cake & it was a delightful visit. We discussed her time in Ethiopia with her much loved husband Reg & spoke of her time in my hometown of Adelaide South Australia. Her son Richard was in Addis visiting at the time. He reminisced of his time at St Peters College & also his involvement in the Fistula Foundation. Dr Catherine was so warm friendly & inclusive & we chatted whilst she held my hands in hers looking deep into my eyes. I will never forget her kindness & beautiful manner. As she showed us around the hospital it was obvious she was much loved by her patients & staff. Dr Catherine was revered around the world & I will be ever grateful for this personal experience in my life.
Vale Dr Hamlin – a life well lived & a devotion to the Ethiopian women who were given back a life after being cast out by society.