Dr Alan Isaacs

Historical Significance: Alan Isaacs was a student in the last cohort of students to complete the Fellowship of the Victorian Optical Association course in 1944. He became very much involved in the College and the development of the course. He was a member of the Committee that produced a revised course and the first detailed handbook (syllabus) for the course in 1948. He was a Councillor of the College f947-1953 and 1961-1966 He was a member of the Committee that produced a revised course and a detailed handbook (syllabus) for the course in 1948 and lectured in the new College course. He was made an honorary life member of the College in 1962. He returned to study to do adult matriculation at Taylors College and then studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, which he completed in 1962, and proceeded to train as an ophthalmologist in London. He practised ophthalmology in Melbourne and taught optics and refraction to ophthalmologists-in-training for more than 40 years. For this latter service he was the recipient of the Meritorious Service Award of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists in 2009. He claims to be the first optometrist in Victoria to style himself, when he started practice in 1945, simply as 'optometrist' at a time when optometrists often described themselves as' Optician' or 'Optometrist and Optician'.