Collection of papers and photographic slides for Ernest Jabara, one of the founding members of the Australian College of Optometry
 Catalogue Number: 2887 Collection of papers and photographic slides for Ernest Jabara, one of the founding members of the Australian College of Optometry Category: Papers Sub-Category: Collection of papers (People) incl CVs Time Period: 1940 to 1999 Place Of Publication/Manufacture: Melbourne Description Of Item: Collection of papers for Ernest Jabara (1897-1981) comprising photocopies of (1) the program of the Post-Graduate Lecture series of the Optometrical Educational Reform Society for 1948, that is dominated by Ernest Jabara as lecturer (2) 3 page reprint of a paper by Ernest Jabara published in Aust J Optom 1963 (June) together with two letters to the Editor also published in Aust J Optom 1962 (Dec) and 1963 (Feb) 51-52, the latter authored by Jabara (3) three A4 pages headed ERNEST H. JABARA FSMC FIO (LOND) 1897-1981 giving an account of Ernest Jabara's contribution to optometric education, (4) a copy of the citation for Ernest Jabara dated October 21 1960 on the occasion of the award to him of honorary life membership of the Victorian College of Optometry, (5) copy of the certificate of honorary life membership, (6) a page from the 1980 annual report of the Victorian College of Optometry (presented to the AGM in 1981) reporting the death of Ernest Jabara. (7) a letter dated November 17 1981 from Mrs F E Jabara to Mr J B Potter, Registrar of the University of Melbourne offering the sum of $2500 to the University for the purpose of providing a monetary prize for the best student in the final year of the BSc Optom course, (8) a page from the 1983 annual report of the Victorian College of Optometry (presented to the AGM in 1984) reporting the unveiling of a portrait of Ernest Jabara by the artist Wesley Pemberthy, Also filed with these papers are six glass photographic slides, 83 x 83 mm, of Mr Jabara. Historical Significance: Ernest Jabara (1897-1981) was a Melbourne optometrist who was one of founders of the Australian College of Optometry and its foundation Chairman. He resigned as Chairman in 1942 because of a dispute with the majority of other councillors. The dispute was bitter and Jabara formed a new body, the Optometrical Educational Reform Society, to pursue concepts of optometry that he wished the College would have adopted. Jabara had acquired the FBOA fellowship by examination in London after studying part of the optometry course at Columbia University in New York. This exposure to USA optometry may have influenced the ideas he espoused. Quite a number of optometrists joined his society and cut their ties with the College. Item 1 is the program of the 1948 lecture series of the Society in which Jabara is the dominant lecturer. His ideas can also be discerned in his paper published in 1963 (Item 2). Item 3 is an account by an anonymous author of Jabara's contribution to optometry. Item 4 is the citation for his election as an honorary life member of the College in 1960 and Item 5 is a copy of the Life membership certificate. On his death in 1981, (Item his widow wrote to the University of Melbourne offering a sum of money for a prize for the best final year student in the University's optometry course to be named in his memory (Item 6). The University suggested that his commemoration might be better served by commissioning a portrait of him, a suggestion that was agreed by Mrs Jabara, who offered a larger sum of money to make this possible. The portrait (See Cat no. 0011) was unveiled by the Chancellor of the University, Professor R D Wright, at the 1983 AGM of the College. The slides are thought to be photographs of Ernest Jabara during a tour of North Africa and Brazil. One of the slides is of a map of what may be his journey. Other Jabara papers can be found at Cat Nos. 374, 533, 534, 552 and 890. How Acquired: Donated by Anne Jabara, daughter of Ernest Jabara, via Kate Doherty Date Acquired: June 2016 Condition: Good Location: Archive office. Pamphlet and ephemera filing cabinet. Drawer 7 |