Celebrating Exceptional Optical Dispensers and Students

Hosted by ODA, the ODA Gala Dinner was held at the Melbourne Town Hall in Victoria for the first time. April Petrusma, CEO of ODA said the evening was a “fabulous success” with 157 people in attendance, making it “the biggest celebration of optical dispensing in Australia’s history”.

“Optical dispensers are integral to optometry practices in every way,” said Ms Petrusma. “Celebrating our profession with a gala dinner is uplifting for all of our members and the National Excellence Awards are a delightful way to recognise contributions to the profession and the community.”

This was only the second time the awards have been presented and Ms Petrusma said they generated extensive interest, with many of the Gala dinner guests either nominated for awards or there in support of colleagues who had been nominated.

The winners of National Excellence Awards were:

Rookie of the Year: Astrid O’Connor

Ms O’Connor works with Quinn and Co. Eyecare in Horsham, Victoria. Describing her, ODA said Miss O’Connor’s “presence fosters a sense of camaraderie and warmth, contributing to a supportive and uplifting workplace atmosphere for all”.

CEO’s Member Dedication Award: Raymond Moses

Mr Moses, from RM Optical Dispensary in Merrylands, NSW,was described as “a wonderful advocate for continuing education… Even as a business owner, it is unusual to not see him at one of ODA’s CPD events and in 2023 he was a recipient of an ODA Currency Certificate for achieving 10 ODA CPD points for the year”.

Outstanding Practice Owner Award: Lucija Valentic

An optical dispenser for 15 years, Lucija Valentic from Base Curve Optical in Sandringham, Victoria was described as “a small business owner that prioritises integrity and accountability in delivering what she promises to clients”… with “a high level of competence and knowledge in optical dispensing and eyecare”.

Community Champion Award: Brett Willis

Mr Willis, from Friendlies Eyecare in Claremont, Western Australia was recognised as someone who “has gone above and beyond their call of duty”. A practice owner, he is currently training for a 700 km ride with a charity called Ride for Youth which raises funds for youth mental health and suicide support.

Role Model & Leadership Award: Kayla White

Ms White from Quinn and Co. Eyecare in Horsham, Victoria was recognised by her workplace for having such exceptional skills that a specialised role was created for her to travel to other practices and provide training to both new and experienced dispensers. “Her wealth of experience and dedication to sharing knowledge greatly benefits her team members across all locations”.

ODA National Medal for Optical Dispensing Excellence: Joshua Oronce-Simpson

Mr Oronce-Simpson from Spex in the City Eyewear ad Cooper and Lourie in East Victoria Park, Western Australia works full time as a qualified optical dispenser in practice and owns a mobile optical dispensing business. He was recognised for his “professionalism by respecting others whether it be colleagues or patients”, his strong work ethic and “ongoing search for new personal development opportunities”.

ACOD Graduate Certificates and Awards

The Australasian College of Optical Dispensing graduated 156 students from the Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing course this year. Certificates were presented to those in attendance and four special awards were presented to:

First in Course: Jacqueline Bell,

Second in course: Joshua Tingey,

Third in course: Molly Rich, and

Special achievement: Griffin Banfield.

Going Forward

As a national organisation, Ms Petrusma said ODA plans to “spread the love”. While ODA’s conference and awards dinner will be held every second year in Sydney, on alternate years the National Excellence Awards will be presented in different states of Australia.