Letters, leaflets and notes relating to the Optometric Educational Reform Society and its dispute with the Australian College of Optometry
 Catalogue Number: 552 Letters, leaflets and notes relating to the Optometric Educational Reform Society and its dispute with the Australian College of Optometry Category: Papers Sub-Category: Collection of papers (Events) Author: Various including W Johns, HR Edwards, C Dobbie, B Nathan, LRC Werner, WE Owens, JA Richards, LG Watson Year Of Publication/Manufacture: 1944 and 1945 Time Period: 1940 to 1999 Place Of Publication/Manufacture: Melbourne Description Of Item: Letters, printed leaflets and notes relating to the Optometric Educational Reform Society and its dispute with the Australian College of Optometry including material promoting particular candidates for election as councillors of the College in 1944. It includes a letter dated July 16 1965 signed by Ernest Jabara in which he responds to a request from the Secretary of the College, Miss Jean S Colledge, for his papers relating to the College. In this letter he states that concept of the College was his and that after successfully implementing the first stage of the College 'unenlightened opposition developed'. This bundle of papers may be papers he has donated, although more likely they are a bundles of papers already acquired to which Miss Colledge sought to add papers from Mr Jabara's records. Historical Significance: Ernest Jabara was one of the founders of the College and was the first chairman of Council as First Vice President, it not being customary for the President, being titular, to attend Council meetings. He resigned as First Vice President and Chairman in April 1942, when the College was in its third year. He had lost the confidence of Council. He ceased to be a Councillor at the College AGM in 1943. He established the Optometric Educational Reform Society to run post graduate lectures given by senior university staff oriented to biological science and used it as a 'ginger group' to urge his views about optometric education upon the College Council and its members. Other important optometrists resigned from Council and official appointment in the College, including LG McGibbony and WE Owens, who was the Clinic director. There was a stormy AGM in 1943 and a hotly contested election to Council in 1944 at which Jabara supporter RP Griffiths was elected but Jabara never returned to Council and had nothing to with the College subsequently. He was however admitted to Honorary Life membership of the College in 1960. See also another collection material Cat No 541 dealing with the same period and issue. Condition: Fair Location: Archive office. Pamphlet and ephemera filing cabinet. Drawer 1 |