It's an Honour. Optometry in the Order of Australia

CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPTOMETRY

HISTORY It’s an honour. Optometry in the Order of Australiaa

Clin Exp Optom 2016; 99: 188–193 DOI:10.1111/cxo.12355

Nathan Efron* AC DSc PhD BScOptom honours were mostly based on merit but were then Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, † Barry L Cole AO PhD MAppSc BSc LOSc tainted by patronage, politics and position in to recognise Australian citizens for meritorious *Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, and society. Lord mayors of the big cities, long- service. There are four levels of appointment School of Optometry and Vision Science, Queensland serving politicians, senior public servants, cap- to the Order, with the most senior being University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia † tains of industry, university vice-chancellors Companion (AC), followed by Officer (AO), The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia 1 E-mail: [email protected] and professors were made knights and Member (AM) and Medal (OAM) (Table 1). accorded the title of ‘Sir’,or‘Dame’ for the Every Australian citizen appointed to the Key words: Australia, honours, optometry few women who found the public spotlight. Order becomes a member of the Order. The Order of Australia The lesser members of society had their spe- number of awards that can be made each cial contributions recognised by the award of year is limited by quota. The Order of OfficerorMemberoftheMostExcellent Australia is divided into General and Every country has a system of honours to Order of the British Empire (OBE and MBE). Military Divisions. recognise the outstanding achievements or Few Australian optometrists were recog- Honorary awards at all levels may be made meritorious service of its citizens. In Australia, nised with an imperial honour. Sir Arthur to deserving non-citizens; these awards are the Order of Australia is the centrepiece of its Cocks KBE (1862–1943) was one.2 His made additional to the quotas. honours system. It was instigated in 1975 to qualification in optometry was obtained as a Any person may nominate any Australian replace the system of British imperial honours Member of the British Optical Association citizen for an award within the Order of that was used in Australia over the previous but he ran a large and successful optical Australia. Once a nomination has been sub- 187 years. The Order of Australia is one of wholesale company and probably never mitted, the Australian Honours Secretariat a rich and diverse range of 57 civilian and practised optometry. Nevertheless, he was at Government House in Canberra conducts military awards for meritorious service and the secretary of the first Australian Opto- further research and contacts nominated achievement, gallantry and bravery, as well 1 metrical Association on its foundation in and independent referees and relevant orga- as various commemorative medals. 1904.3 He was made a Knight Commander nisations. The nominations, referee reports Honours are awarded to individuals but in the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in and other information gathered are reviewed they also represent an honour for the profes- 1924 after serving as Lord Mayor of Sydney by the Council for the Order of Australia, sion, institution or association to which the (1913) and 15 years as a member of the which consists of 15 persons including a rep- individuals belong. The conferring of NSW Parliament (1910–1925). It was awarded resentative from each Australian state and national honours is therefore a recognisable toaccordhimproperdignity,whenhetook territory. The Council then submits recom- and prominent measure of the value of the up his appointment in London as Agent-Gen- mendations for awards to the Governor- group to which the individual belongs eral for the State of New South Wales in General for approval.1 The awards are still and the esteem accorded to that group by 1925.2 Overall, his honour cannot be made in the name of the Queen, who remains society. ascribed to his services as an optometrist. the Queen of Australia under Australia’s A growing number of optometrists has been Reginald Etherington3 was an optometrist constitution and system of government. appointed to the Order of Australia. In this practising in the country town of Mildura in About 56 per cent of nominations are suc- 40th anniversary year of the inception of the Victoria, where he was a prominent citizen. cessful.4 The Order of Australia is awarded Order, we examine how optometry has fared He was made an OBE in 1972 for service to on Australia Day (January 26) and the in these awards, considering factors such as his community as a Justice of the Peace, city Queen’s Birthday public holiday in June, gender balance, category of service, geograph- councillor and patron of the arts. He was also when public announcements are made by ical distribution and trends over time. involved in the war effort during the Second the Office of the Governor General. World War, advising the government on opti- While State Governors can present the IMPERIAL HONOURS cal instrumentation and making precision Officer, Member and Medal of the Order of optical components. Australia to residents of their respective states, Before 1975, honours were awarded by the There may have been others but they have only the Queen or Governor-General can Queen on the recommendation of the State eluded discovery in our searches. present the Companion level of the Order. and Federal governments of Australia. The Awardees receive a medal, with the higher THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA level medals being progressively more ornate a This paper is an expanded version of an article (Figure1)andtheyareentitledtouseapost- ’ fi that appeared in the July 2015 issue of Australian Australia sownhonourssystemwasestablished nominal designation speci ctothelevelof Optometry. in 1975 by the Queen at the instigation of the award (Table 1).

Level Post-nominal Annual quota Number awarded per year Recipient’s level of achievement

Companion AC 30 11† Eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or to humanity at large Ofﬁcer AO 125 54† Distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large Member AM 300 187† Service in a particular locality or ﬁeld of activity or to a particular group Medal OAM unlimited 459† Service worthy of particular recognition Total 713† †Averaged over the period 1975–2010.1

Table 1. Levels of the Order of Australia

listed in Table 2, with reference links to biographical sketches for the majority of awardees, which have been published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry.Onlyone award has been made at the level of Companion and one at the level of Officer. The remainder have been made at the level of Member (15 awards) and Medal (17 awards) (Table 2). Two optometrists have been recognised for contributions outside optometry. Dr Gad Trevaks AM qualified first as an optometrist and then completed a medical degree. He subsequently held senior positions in health administration and received his award in the Order of Australia for those contributions. – fi Figure 1. Badges of the Order of Australia for (L R) Companion (AC), Of cer (AO), Optometrist Geoffrey Lawson OAM23 was a Member (AM) and Medal (OAM). The AC badge is a 6 cm biconvex disc made from gold, champion international Australian cricketer in the form of a golden wattle flower, with a rich texture of beads and radiating lines. At the (fast bowler) and was honoured for services centre is a blue enamelled ring representing the surrounding sea, with the word ‘Australia’ to that sport. below two golden wattle branches. The disc is surmounted by an enamelled Crown of Dr Alan Isaacs AM originally trained as an St Edward signifying the position of the Sovereign as Head of the Order. The obverse side optometrist but later studied medicine and fi of the badge is decorated with citrines and the name of the recipient is engraved on a cen- quali ed and practised as an ophthal- tral circular disc on the reverse side. The AO, AM and OAM badges are similar in design but mologist. Although the citation for his award specifically refers to services to ophthal- are progressively smaller, made from gold-plated silver, and do not have citrines. Only the mology, Dr Isaacs served on the Council of crown is enamelled on the AM badge. The OAM badge is plain, without any enamelling. the Australian College of Optometry for The badges for the General and Military Divisions are identical. The ribbon of the Order 10 years (1947–1956) and was very active in fl for the General Division is blue with a central stripe of golden wattle ower designs. The optometric education, having been heavily ribbon of the Military Division has additional golden edge stripes. Reproduced with permis- involved in the mid-1940s developing the sion from the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General. curriculum of a university-level optometry course of the College. 8 Our search revealed 34 optometry-related Joseph Chakman AM is the only person OPTOMETRIC RECOGNITION recipients of the Order of Australia,b all in who is not an optometrist to have been the General Division. These recipients are awarded an honour in the Order of Australia We searched for all recipients of the Order of for services to optometry. He was Chief ‘ ’ Australia using the Advanced Search function Executive Officer of Optometry Australia for ‘ ’ 1 b on the Its an Honour website. Search terms There have been two additional optometry- 30 years (1981–2011). entered included various forms of the following related awards within the broader Australian words: optometry, ophthalmic, optics, vision, honours system. The Public Service Medal was awarded to Jean Soffy Colledge PSM, who is not eye, ocular, contact lens. Citations of all recipi- an optometrist, in 1990 for long and meritorious GENDER IMBALANCE ents identified by this search were scrutinised service as secretary to the Department of to verify that they were related to optometry. Optometry at The University of Melbourne and Of the 34 optometry-related recipients of the We also relied upon our collective knowledge the Australian College of Optometry. Western Order of Australian, 30 (88 per cent) have Australian optometrist David James Stephens of awards made over the years, having both been awarded to males and only four received the Centenary Medal in 2001 ‘for voluntary been involved in the optometric profession service with Neuro Health Foundation, Optometry (12 per cent) to females, all of the latter being since the inception of the Order of Australia. Aid Overseas and Citizen Advocacy’. at the OAM level. This gender imbalance is

© 2016 Optometry Australia Clinical and Experimental Optometry 99.2 March 2016 189 lncladEprmna poer 92Mrh2016 March 99.2 Optometry Experimental and Clinical poer nteOdro Australia of Order the in Optometry 190

Recipient Year† Citation1 Career‡ State§

Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) EFRON, Nathan5 2015 Q For eminent service to medicine in the field of clinical optometry, particularly to vision Professor, Queensland University of QLD correction and corneal physiology, as an academic, researcher and author, to the Technology treatment of juvenile diabetes, and through executive roles with national and international professional organisations Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) COLE, Barry Leighton6 1987 A In recognition of service to medicine, particularly in the field of optometry Professor, University of Melbourne VIC Member of the Order of Australia (AM) ANJOU, Mitchell David 2013 A For significant service to optometry and public health, particularly in the Indigenous Senior researcher in Indigenous eye care, VIC community, as a researcher, clinician and educator University of Melbourne Cole and Efron BOWMAN, Kenneth John7 1999 A For service to education and to optometry, particularly through the Queensland Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, QLD University of Technology Queensland University of Technology CHAKMAN, Joseph8, ¶ 2014 A For significant service to optometry and public health, particularly through policy reform Executive Director, Optometry Australia VIC COLLIN, Hermann Barry9 1997 Q For service to optometric research and education in the Asia-Pacific region Professor, University of New South Wales NSW EZEKIEL, Donald Frederick10 1997 A In recognition of service to the optometrical profession and to the development of the Contact lens manufacturer WA scleral contact lens ISAACS, Alan 2015 Q For significant service to medical education, particularly in the field of ophthalmology, Optometrist and ophthalmologist VIC and to professional organisations JOHNSTON, Alan William 1997 A For service to people with visual impairment, particularly in the field of optometric Associate Professor, University of Melbourne VIC rehabilitation KNIPE, Michael George 2015 A For significant service to optometry through executive roles with professional Optometrist in practice TAS organisations, and to the community of Timor-Leste PANK, David Leon11 1980 Q For service to industry Ophthalmic lens manufacturer SA SIMS, Norman Brian12 2006 A For service to medicine, particularly through the establishment of the Lions Low Vision Optometrist in practice TAS Clinic, and to people with a visual impairment SMITH, Damien Patrick13 1995 A For service to optometry, particularly through the promotion of eye care in the President, World Optometry Council VIC Asia-Pacificregion †† TREVAKS, Gad 1994 Q For services to health care administration and to medicine Chairman, Health Commission of Victoria VIC WATKINS, Rodney Dennis14 2005 Q For service to optics and optometry through the development and manufacture of Ophthalmic instruments entrepreneur SA ophthalmic equipment designed for use in remote locations throughout the world WESTHEIMER, Gerald15 2009 Q For service to vision science as a researcher, through optometric education and Professor, University of California, Berkeley USA as a mentor WRIGHT, Charles Frederick16 1977 Q For service to optometry, especially as the official historian of the Australian Historian, Optometry Australia SA Optometrical Association, and for his civic involvement in Adelaide 06OtmtyAustralia Optometry 2016 ©

(Continues) Table 2. Optometry-related recipients of the Order of Australia (1975–2015) 06OtmtyAustralia Optometry 2016 © Recipient Year† Citation1 Career‡ State§

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) BANKS, Margaret McNeill 2005 Q For service to children with vision impairments through contributions in the specialised Optometrist in practice VIC field of behavioural optometry COCKBURN, David Michael17 1982 Q In recognition of service to optometry Adjunct Associate Professor, University of VIC Melbourne DUFFY, Jane Francis 2014 Q For service to community health, particularly through optometry services Foundation Managing Director, Optometry VIC Council of Australian and New Zealand DWYER, Peter Stanway18 2007 Q For service to optometry through executive roles in professional organisations, the Foundation Chairman, Optometry Council of VIC establishment of a nationally consistent competency-based approach to the registration Australian and New Zealand of practitioners and as a researcher in the field of paediatrics ELLIOTT, John Fletcher 1981 Q In recognition of service to medicine, particularly in the field of optometry Optometrist in practice QLD GIBSON, Anthony John19 2004 Q For service to optometry, particularly through the eye clinic at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Optometrist in practice VIC and to the community of Park Orchards HANKS, Anthony John 2010 Q For service to optometry, and to the community of Port Macquarie Optometrist in practice NSW HEWETT, John Lloyd20 1989 Q For service to optometry Editor, Clinical & Experimental Optometry NSW HILL, Graham Ormond21 2005 A For service to optometry through the Victorian College of Optometry and through the President, Australian College of Optometry VIC establishment of regional eye care services, and to the community HOLDEN, Brien Anthony22 1997 A For service to optometry, for contact lens research and education Professor, University of New South Wales NSW ‡‡ LAWSON, Geoffrey Francis 23, 1990 Q For service to cricket Australian international cricketer NSW LAYLAND, Brian24 1982 Q For service to optometry President, Optometry Australia NSW LEWIS, Peter Wayne 2014 Q For service to optometry, particularly eye care in Indonesia and Timor-Leste Optometrist in practice VIC NATHAN, Jonathan25 2013 Q For service to medical education, particularly in the field of optometry President, Australian College of Optometry VIC STEWART, Peter Duthie 2014 Q For service to the international community through the provision of eye health programs Optometrist in practice VIC WALDRON, Heather Esme26 2012 Q For service to community health in the field of optometry, and to the community Optometrist in practice QLD

WALTON, Susan Kathleen 2014 Q For service to community health, and to people with a disability Optometrist in practice NSW Australia of Order the in Optometry † A : Australia Day honours list, Q : Queen’s Birthday honours list ‡ Primary career activity at the time of the award as noted in the award citation lncladEprmna poer 92Mrh2016 March 99.2 Optometry Experimental and Clinical §State of residence at the time of the award. NSW: New South Wales, QLD: Queensland, SA: South Australia, TAS: Tasmania, VIC: Victoria, WA: Western Australia. ¶Not an optometrist but recognised for services to optometry †† Optometrist and medical practitioner but recognised for services other than to optometry (health care administration) ‡‡ Optometrist but recognised for services other than to optometry (cricket)

Table 2. Optometry-related recipients of the Order of Australia (1975–2015) fo n Cole and Efron 191 Optometry in the Order of Australia Efron and Cole

considerably greater than that for Order of Australia awards as a whole. Of all Order of Australia awards made between 1975 and 2010, 70 per cent of recipients have been male.4 The predominance of male awardees is in part due to the fact that 72 per cent of nominees have been men. Of all nominations received, women have a higher success rate for receiving awards (57 per cent) than men (50 per cent).4 Figure 2. Number of optometry-related recipients of the Order of Australia Figure 3. Number of optometry-related CATEGORY OF SERVICE (1975–2015) according to category of ser- recipients of the Order of Australia – Interestingly, five of the 34 award citations vice, stratified by level of award. (1975 2015) according to state of residence, refer to ‘service to medicine in the field of stratified by category of service. VIC: Victoria, optometry’, or words to that effect. This curi- NSW: New South Wales, QLD: Queensland, GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION ous phraseology apparently stems from the SA:SouthAustralia,TAS:Tasmania,WA: way in which the Council for the Order of The vast majority of optometry-related awards Western Australia, ACT: Australian Capital fi Australia strati es nominations by category (68 per cent) have been given to residents of Territory, NT: Northern Territory. Current of service. Medicine and dentistry are the only the two largest Australian states, New South state and territory populations (millions) are medical-related categories of the 30 categories Wales and Victoria. There have been no given beneath each state abbreviation. used for statistical purposes.1 ‘Medicine’ awards to optometrists from the Australian appears to be the catch-all grouping for Capital Territory or Northern Territory and health-related disciplines aside from den- one award has been made to a USA-based op- Birthday, even though an approximately tistry, awards for which are cited separately. tometrist, Gerald Westheimer, who qualified equal number of awards is conferred on each A review of citations for awards to Order of in optometry in New South Wales and re- occasion.1 Australia recipients reveals four broad catego- mains an Australian citizen. It is clear that The overall number of optometry-related ries of service to optometry. the distribution of awards among states is awards has risen considerably since the incep- 1. Eye care. Provision of eye care to the not entirely consistent with the rank order tion of the Order of Australia (Figure 4), in- community, especially those who are dis- of populations in those states (Figure 3). In creasing from five during the first decade of advantaged or reside in remote and/or this regard, especially notable is the transposi- awards (1976–1985) to 15 in the most recent impoverished regions. tion of Victoria and New South Wales and the decade (2006–2015). This increase is in syn- 2. Profession. Service to professional organi- disproportionally lower number of optome- chrony with the increase in the number of sations by way of executive leadership or try-related awards to Western Australians. all awards made between 1975 and 2015.4 other contributions. The over-representation of Victorian re- Although a good number of optometrists 3. Academia. Service to academia by way of cipients may be due in part to the location in and distinguished contributions to optometry leadership, teaching, administration or that state of the head offices of three peak na- have been recognised to date, other profes- research. tional optometric organisations — Optometry sions such as medicine, dentistry, law and 4. Industry. Service to the ophthalmic indus- Australia (National Office), the Optometry engineering have figured even more promi- try, such as the design and manufacture Council of Australian and New Zealand and nently among recipients of the Order of of clinical instrumentation, ophthalmic the Australian College of Optometry. Five of Australia.1 By adopting a similar search strategy lenses or contact lenses. the eight awards for service to the profession for ophthalmology recipients (by substituting Although some awardees have made con- were made to Victorians. ‘optometry’ for ‘ophthalmology’ in the list of tributions in more than one category, our A factor that introduces a bias of optometry- search terms described previously), we discov- analysis of category of awards was conducted related awards to those from Victoria, New ered that there have been 61 awards in the Or- by assigning to each awardee what we judged South Wales and Queensland is the der of Australia for services to ophthalmology to be the single most substantial contribution exclusive location in those states, until very since 1975, compared to the 34 optometry- as indicated by the award citation (Figure 2). recently, of university-based schools of related awards (Figure 5).c In addition, by our Eye care figures as the most common rea- optometry. Unsurprisingly, all nine awards count, three ophthalmologists were Knighted son for giving an award in relation to optom- linked to academia have emanated from under the previous imperial system of etry, although the majority of recipients in these eastern mainland states. honours and one was made a Dame. this category of service have received the If one accepts the premise that the level of OAM. In general, higher levels of the award TRENDS IN NUMBER AND LEVEL OF awards within the Order of Australia made to have been given for service to academia, fl AWARDS members of a professional group re ects the whereby 66 per cent of awards in this category have been made at the level of AM or Over the 40-year history of the Order of higher. As well, the two recipients of the Australia, 11 (32 per cent) optometry-related cDr Alan Isaacs AM is included in counts for both two most senior awards (AC and AO) have awards have been announced on Australia optometry and ophthalmology, as he has made been recognised for service to academia. Day and 23 (68 per cent) on the Queen’s significant contributions to both professions.

Officer of the Order of Australia. A further 9. Cole BL. H Barry Collin AM. Clin Exp Optom 2001; – 28 years elapsed before an optometrist was 84: 39 42. — 10. Efron N. Donald Ezekiel AM: passionate and innova- made a Companion of the Order a mile- tive contact lens practitioner and manufacturer. Clin stone that perhaps signifies the emergence Exp Optom 2014; 97: 570–572. of optometry as a profession deserving of 11. Watkins R. David L Pank AM AFC (1917–2004). recognition at the highest level. Optometrist and business and community leader. Clin Exp Optom 2004; 87: 121–123. Thetimecourseofthenumberandlevel 12. Cole BL. Norman Brian Sims AM. Pioneer provider of optometry-related awards within the of low vision services. Clin Exp Optom 2006; 89: Order of Australia over the past 40 years 190–192. parallels the increasing recognition, pro- 13. Collin HB. Damien P Smith AM. Optometry’s Clin Exp Optom – minence and influence of optometry in leader. 2002; 85: 256 259. Figure 4. Number of optometry-related 14. Cole BL. Dr Rodney D Watkins awarded the Flinders health care, academia and community recipients of the Order of Australia by University Convocation Medal. Clin Exp Optom 2000; fi service in Australia. 83: 232–233. decade, strati ed by level of award. 15. Mitchell DE. Professor Gerald Westheimer FRS. Australian optometry’s pre-eminent vision scientist. REFERENCES Clin Exp Optom 2001; 84: 296–300. 16. Anon. Charles Wright AM (1912-2003). Clin Exp 1. Its an Honour. Canberra: Department of the Prime Optom 2003; 86: 413. Minister and Cabinet. Available at: www. 17. Cole BL. David Michael Cockburn OAM Educator, itsanhonour.gov.au. [Accessed 4 August 2015]. entertainer, innovator. Legend. Clin Exp Optom 2. Gerathy G. Cocks, Sir Arthur Alfred Clement 2003; 86: 57–62. (1862–1943). Australian Dictionary of Biography. 18. Cole BL. Peter S Dwyer. The man behind the foun- Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian dation of the Optometry Council of Australia and National University. [published first in hardcopy New Zealand. Clin Exp Optom 2006; 89: 263–267. 1981]. Available at: adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cocks- 19. Cole BL. Anthony J Gibson OAM. Clinical teacher. sir-arthur-alfred-clement-5704/text9643. [Accessed 4 Clin Exp Optom 2004; 83: 401–402. August 2015]. 20. Collin HB. J Lloyd Hewett (1923-1996). Clin Exp 3. Cole BL. A History of Australian Optometry. Optom – Carlton, Victoria: The Australian College of 2000; 87: 333 336. Optometry, 2015. 21. Cole BL. Graham O Hill. President, Victorian – Clin Exp Optom 4. Bonsey M. The Order of Australia Review 2011. College of Optometry 1991 2003. – Figure 5. Number of recipients of the Canberra: Government House, 2011. Available at: www. 2003; 86: 409 412. Order of Australia (1975–2015) for services gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/foi/OofAReview2011. 22. McMonnies CW. Professor Brien Holden OAM. pdf [Accessed 4 August 2015]. Scientia Professor University of New South Wales. Clin Exp Optom – to optometry and ophthalmology, for the 5. Cole BL. Profile: Nathan Efron: Charismatic 2001; 84: 366 371. four levels of award. academic returns to Australia. Clin Exp Optom 2005; 23. Lawson G. Henry. The Geoff Lawson Story. 88: 430–433. Rushcutters Bay, NSW: Ironbark Press, 1993. 6. Nathan J. Professor Barry Leighton Cole AO retires. 24. Holden BA, Evans K. Professor Brian Layland OAM. standing of that profession in Australian Clin Exp Optom 1998; 81: 236–237. Fifty years of commitment to optometry. Clin Exp society, then optometry makes an excellent 7. Carney LG. Kenneth J Bowman AM. Executive Optom 2003; 86: 260–264. case study. For the first 12 years after the Or- Dean of the Faculty of Health, Queensland 25. Cockburn DM. Jonathan Nathan DSc. Educator, Clin Exp Optom der of Australia was established, optometry- University of Technology. Clin Exp Optom 2009; clinician and research leader. 2001; – 84: 91–93. related awards were only made at the level 92: 159 162. 8. Robbins HG. Joseph Chakman. Chief Executive 26. Breadon I. Colin and Heather Waldron: clinicians, of Member or Medal. The next step up came Officer, Optometrists Association Australia teachers, practice builders, travellers, professional in 1987, when an optometrist was made an 1981–2011. Clin Exp Optom 2013; 96: 513–516. leaders. Clin Exp Optom 2013; 96: 584–588.