Certificate of Fellowship of the Institute of Ophthalmic Opticians for Ella Lillian May Pink

Historical Significance: Fellowship of the Institute of Ophthalmic Opticians was open to those who had completed a formal qualification by examination, typically the FSMC or FBOA. Little is known of this now defunct organisation but many optometrists in the first half of the 20th century took the opportunity to add another post-nominal, FIO, to their names on the basis of the FSMC and/or FBOA earned by examination. Miss Pink was one of them. It did not run its own qualifying examinations.Miss Ella Lillian May Pink (1890-1986) was an Australian woman who qualified in optometry in London in 1915 and practised in Australia from 1917 until September 1953. She was the first Australian woman to complete qualifications in optometry in London. She completed her Fellowship examinations of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers in 1915 acquiring the right to the post-nominal FSMC and also in the same year the examinations for the Dioptric Diploma of the British Optical Association (DBOA). She also chose to become a Fellow of the Institute of Ophthalmic Opticians (FIO) in 1916 by right of holding FSMC and DBOA qualifiecations.