Order of service for the funeral of Professor Brien A Holden OAM and related papers

Historical Significance: Professor Brien Holden (1942-2015) was a towering figure in optometry, in both Australia and globally, and his legacy is enormous. He trained in optometry at the Australian College of Optometry in the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1964 with Bachelor of Applied Science (Optometry) in the University and the Diploma of Licentiate of Optometric Science of the College. He completed his PhD degree at the City University, which would later confer on him an honorary Doctor of Science degree. He was appointed lecturer in the Department of Optometry at the University of New South Wales in 1971. Later he would rise to the rank of Professor and then to the prestigious rank of Scientia Professor of the University in 2001. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1997 for his contributions to optometry, for contact lens research and education. At the University of New South Wales he swept all before him. He taught the first diagnostic drug course breaking a 10 year deadlock with an uncooperative medical profession. He taught continuing education courses in contact lens practice and slit lamp biomicroscopy at the time these were just entering mainstream optometric practice. He established his Cornea and Contact Lens Research Unit in 1976 that morphed into the Institute for Eye Research in 1985 and became the Brien Holden Vision Institute in 2012. He secured bountiful funding for his research from contact lens companies and government, including extraordinary funding of two cooperative research centres funded over 13 years that secured a total of $85 million from government and industry sources. He died unexpectedly on July 27 2015 at the age of 72. See obituary Layland B. McMonnies C, Davis S. Clin Exp Optom 2016; 99: 389-391.