Our people

Tel: 0412 401 102 Email: andrew@oaansw.com.au

After nearly 25 years in the hot seat, what continues to inspire and drive me? The answer is simple: our members. I know many of you personally and I really enjoy working with you to help make your professional lives a little easier and more rewarding.

I graduated with a Business Degree (UTS) in 1986 and have since added an MBA and Graduate Certificate in Employment Law. Prior to becoming CEO, I’d been aware of optometry for some time (through my cousin, optometrist Tim McKinnon) before fate brought me to an interview with Tony Lord and Brian Layland, and the rest is history.

Outside of work? Saturdays are usually taken up with my alternative role as CEDW – Chief Executive Dog Washer. My wife runs a dog grooming and training business so you’ll normally find me cleaning pooches! Sundays are spent messing about on our boat as often as we can arrange it, in between looking after our young granddaughter and catching up with friends.

I truly believe that there is so much scope for optometry’s future. It’s really exciting to be part of a profession which is genuinely going places.

Tel: 0418 684 779 Email: nicole@oaansw.com.au

I’m the voice you’re most likely to hear when you pick up the phone to call Optometry NSW/ACT. I’ve been at the helm since 2004 and have built a strong rapport with members, our board, national and other state divisions, and our other industry partners.

My role is very diverse – running the office, organising major conferences, even project managing the office renovation in late 2018. I also manage the accounts and HR, but the best part of my role is dealing with the members, from renewals to audit support and everything in between.

Outside work I love to go camping with my husband of ten years (Pete) and my kids (Zac and Kate).

Tel: 0407 115 639 Email: paula@oaansw.com.au

I’m passionate about raising the profile of optometry at all levels – from patients seeking the best eye care through to government policy makers, I believe that optometrists should be centre stage.

I’m frequently involved in undergraduate and postgraduate education aiming to support optometrists to practise to the best of their ability, with a particular interest in their role in reducing preventable vision loss through the early diagnosis of eye disease.

I’ve been part of the Optometry NSW/ACT team since 2004. From 2009 to 2021 I was a Lead Clinician at the Centre for Eye Health. I received my Graduate Certificate in Ocular Therapeutics in 2008 and completed my Masters in Optometry (UNSW) in 2010.

Soon after I graduated, I worked at Joslin Diabetes Center’s Beetham Eye Institute in Boston for nearly four years. I’ve also been a staff optometrist in the School of Optometry and Vision Science UNSW and worked in both rural and urban practices in Australia. I’ve spoken at numerous conferences and educational events both nationally and internationally and have experience with clinical research.

Outside optometry my interests include playing the violin in the Eastern Sydney Chamber Orchestra and travelling the world as frequently as I can with my husband Jon and our two boys.

Tel: 0414 386 824 Email: audrey@oaansw.com.au

I’m dedicated to supporting optometrists through all stages of their careers.

I grew up in Ireland and qualified as an optometrist in Dublin, where I worked for several years in clinical practice, both private and corporate.

Itchy feet led me to Sydney in 1998 and since then I’ve added to my qualifications with Graduate Certificates in Therapeutics (UNSW and ACO) and Advanced Contact Lenses (UNSW). Being a naturally creative person, I felt I had a unique role to play in developing engaging, useful resources to support my peers throughout their profession. To this end, I undertook diplomas in Marketing (2005) and Editing & Publishing (2013).

I have always been interested in ocular pathology and I worked at Vision Eye Institute for 15 years (in clinical, marketing, referrer liaison and content-editing roles). I’m also very interested in the dry eye epidemic and what optometrists can do to help.

Outside of work I love to write creatively and I’m a widely-published poet. I also like to get away from it all by hiking in our beautiful outdoors. My three young kids keep me from ever getting bored.

Tel: (02) 9712 2199 Email: sarah@oaansw.com.au

When a member has a problem, I enjoy taking the time to solve it for them. My background in studying anthropology and psychology nurtured my interest in both researching and being involved with people. I am currently researching the history of the optometry profession in NSW and find it fascinating. I hope to be able to turn this research into a permanent record of the progress of this profession over its 100-year history.

Outside the office I have a huge passion for writing and am working on my first novel. I also love to do competitive weightlifting and gymnastics. Aside from that I love anything outdoors – snowboarding, hiking, paddle-boarding, travelling and anything involving music.

Tel: (02) 9712 2199 Email: vision@oaansw.com.au

Being the eternal optimist, I see lots of potential for the future of optometry. I'm not one to sit on the sidelines, nor pass up an opportunity so when I was asked in 2016 if I was keen to contribute to the profession by being on council, I couldn't say no.

I love my job as an independent practitioner, business owner, NSW board member for CCLSA, and mentor to optometry students on clinical placements. What I enjoy most is looking after patients and specialty contact lens fitting, and spending time being an active role model for my two nearly teenage boys. I'm the mum you will see jumping off the bridge into deep water, or sliding down a sand dune at high speed on holidays!

I'm hoping my passion to look after people, mixed with my motivation to promote our professional standards to other health professionals, as well as promoting optometry to the wider community will make my contribution to council a valuable one.

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As a Board director of Optometry NSW/ACT, I will work to ensure optometry continues to be progressive, relevant, well respected and rewarding profession through advocacy, education and collaboration with other professions.

Tel: (02) 9712 2199 Email: vision@oaansw.com.au

I fervently promote programs and services that will provide good value for our members, and decisions that will maintain the strength and integrity of our organisation and profession.

I bring a broad range of experience to the Optometry NSW/ACT Board I serve on through my roles in private practice optometry, the optical industry, academia, government, and ophthalmology.

I worked for 12 years in the contact lens industry R&D area with Bausch & Lomb in Rochester, New York. I was Professor of Clinical Optometry at UNSW, as well as being responsible for the re-introduction of the school's popular Master of Optometry program. I also worked for many years at the ophthalmology practice group Vision Eye Institute in Sydney, where I directed optometry co-management and education programs. I’m also a Past-President of the Contact Lens Society of Australia, the organisation that supported my UNSW PhD research on overnight wear of contact lenses in the 1970s under the supervision of Professor Brien Holden.

I’m in semi-retirement now and as my three children have grown up, I’m in a position to do overseas volunteer work for the ophthalmic charity ‘Sight For All’, which I greatly enjoy. I also love spending time on my hobbies – travelling with my wife Penny, doing Greek family tree research, and working on my neglected golf game.

Tel: Email: vision@oaansw.com.au

I’ve been a part of our profession for 35+ years and consider myself fortunate to have experienced almost every facet of optometry. I have worked as a consulting optometrist and practice manager in both regional and metro locations, worked as a locum optometrist, taken on roles in optometric management with a large corporate optical business, and been employed in professional and medical services, as well as working in R&D with a large contact lens manufacturer.

The one constant I’ve seen over these years is change! I’m very optimistic about the future of optometry. Past leaders in our industry have helped create a profession which is respected by the public and allied health professions alike. A key role of our organisation is to continually monitor community needs in a fast-changing world, to ensure our profession is even more viable, relevant and profitable in the future.

Outside of optometry I enjoy travelling with my wife Michelle and son Conor, often combining the travel with skiing or trekking in adventurous locations!

Tel: (02) 9712 2199 Email: vision@oaansw.com.au

As one of the longer-serving current councillors, I believe that our organisation plays a vital role in guiding the direction the profession takes. Our council think tank is comprised of dedicated optometrists representing a cross section of practice. The reality is that sometimes our efforts are sidelined by the aspirations of other stakeholders in vision care – but we can’t give up! The right to use therapeutic drugs in our state was not just given to optometry by the government or medicine, it was gained only by a 15 year-long campaign waged by Optometry Australia.

I was a late starter. In my earlier career, I moved to practise in the UK then returned to work in contact lens research in Sydney and completed postgraduate studies with what is now known as the Brien Holden Vision Institute. So unsurprisingly, I have a strong interest in contact lens fitting and myopia control, and offer some consulting services to industry.

I am pleased to say that running and growing my private practice over the past 20 years, pursuing postgraduate studies, regular clinical teaching at UNSW, serving on the Cornea and Contact Lens Society of Australia and on the ONSW/ACT council for the last 25 years, have all kept me far too busy for playing golf on a Wednesday. My chosen profession has kept me interested and challenged since I graduated because there are so many avenues open to explore with an optometry degree. And I still love how my growing clinical skills can change people’s daily lives. I find my continuing professional development keeps me motivated and I want to see colleagues publicly recognised for their postgraduate studies and upskilling.

Optometry is a great profession deserving of a bigger role in eye care, so supporting our organisation is an obvious way to attain that.

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In my role as Board Director, I intend to use my experience and knowledge of eye care in a variety of settings to expand the scope of the profession and to increase optometry’s involvement in primary and public health care.

While completing my optometry degree I had the opportunity to travel to the State University of New York Optometry School as part of UNSW’s Preceptorship program. Optometry in the United States has always been a little ahead of what we are doing in Australia and being exposed to the profession in New York early in my career has motivated me to keep improving my skills and knowledge, particularly in ocular health.

I have practiced within ophthalmology clinics for almost 20 years and have had the opportunity to learn and develop my skill set working alongside the specialist doctors. I have also worked in corporate and independent optometry practices in city, suburban and regional locations and held roles in management, business development and training both as a practice owner and as an employee.

I believe that supporting members by providing opportunities to increase their proficiencies will lead to a stronger profession and greater career satisfaction.

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I am privileged and honored to serve as a board member for Optometry NSW/ACT. Throughout my professional journey, I have assumed diverse positions, such as Professional Services Manager, Eyecare Operations Director ANZ, and presently, am the State Director for NSW/ACT at Essilor-Luxottica. Witnessing the evolving landscape of Optometry has fueled my passion for propelling the profession forward and embracing the constant stream of innovations that shape the future of eye health in Australia. I am especially devoted to supporting and mentoring young optometrists, guiding their professional development amidst the ever-changing optometry landscape.

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I have dedicated my efforts to both honing my comprehensive optometric clinical skills and also exploring different ways for me to extend my professional impact including Indigenous eyecare (Awabakal), academic lecturing (University of Sydney, Sydney Eye Hospital), and educational product development (NSW Eye Emergency App, AAO Eyewiki).

I bring a wealth of clinical and non-clinical experience to the Optometry NSW/ACT Board to promote better collaborations with our ophthalmic colleagues, and emphasis on the vital role of optometrists in Indigenous and public health.

My focus as a director of Optometry NSW/ACT is to protect our organisational values to lead, engage, unite, and promote optometry. I aim to ensure the sustainability and continuous evolution of our sector by providing objective evaluations to reduce risk and improve operations.

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I’m excited for this opportunity to be involved in ECONA to represent and promote the passions of young members within the optometric profession. By fostering a positive culture, I want to develop student engagement and create an innovative network for early career optometrists. Ultimately, I look forward to help shaping a progressive future for optometry such that the profession remains an integral part of the healthcare community.

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I am very excited to have the opportunity to be involved in the advocacy for the improvement and advancement of the optometric profession. As an ever-evolving industry, there is vast potential for progression and transformation of the way clinical optometry is delivered. I hope to represent and support your ideas for innovation and expansion of our clinical scope, with the ultimate goal of enhancing patient outcomes and improving quality of patient care.

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I look forward to supporting and empowering early career optometrists so that they can confidently navigate an evolving professional landscape. My hope is that we can advance together as a profession to progress forward and continue to provide excellent patient care.

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I am honoured to be part of the ECONA committee. Optometry is an evolving profession and I hope to connect with fellow ECOs, share ideas, and learn from diverse perspectives. Through my involvement, I hope to contribute to the future of our profession.

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I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to contribute to ECONA, a team actively advocating for optometry beyond the consultation room. As a regional and early career optometrist myself, I hope to support optometrists in our ever evolving role, including in areas where there may be a maldistribution of health care practitioners and resources.

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As a recent graduate optometrist working for a corporate in a regional area, I am excited to be part of ECONA. It is an opportunity to discuss with like-minded individuals on the issues that early career optometrists face and how these issues can be solved. My hope that my engagement with ECONA will bring better community awareness of the optometrist role as well as encourage regional optometrists and other health professionals to co-manage to provide the best clinical care to our patients.

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"As a graduate optometrist, the support from ECONA in my final year of study helped me transition from the mindset of a student to a healthcare clinician. I am delighted to work alongside like-minded peers and students to move forwards together, as individuals and as a profession, while providing exceptional eyecare services to our communities."

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"I am excited to become a part of the ECONA team, and to work with passionate individuals to address the unique challenges facing optometrists in rural and regional practices. I am passionate in contributing and pioneering positive change, fostering relationships with the wider healthcare community, and helping to create a sustainable future for the profession."

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"My mission is to unite early career regional and rural optometrists. I aim to create a sense of support and inclusivity among optometrists, regardless of where they are located. I would like to support the development of early career optometrists in all aspects of optometry including patient care, advocacy, research and education. My passion lies in building strong connections within the optometry profession, which I believe will lead to improved public health outcomes in marginalised communities."

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"I am excited to join ECONA in supporting early optometrists navigate the opportunities and challenges that come with working in corporate employment. Having worked regionally since a graduate, I am passionate about collaborative care and hope to strengthen connections between healthcare professionals, improve access to resources and promote unity in our evolving profession."

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I am super excited to be part of ECONA. I want to ensure that corporate optometrists are still connected to the broader optometry spectrum. I also aim to help other optometrists with achieving better work/life balance and passion for their profession, something I've had difficulty with in the past myself.

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“I am a newly graduated optometrist who is excited to be out in the real world, testing eyes and helping to deliver optimal eye care. Being a part of the ECONA committee is an amazing opportunity, which will really allow me to contribute to future optometrists in the early years of their career.”

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I am excited to work alongside inspiring optometrists and students to encourage innovation and advancement in our field. Just as ECONA has done for me, I hope to provide endless support along our journey together in becoming fulfilled and accomplished optometrists.

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I am grateful for the opportunity to become a part of the ECONA family. As an optometry student, I am passionate in building stronger connections between my peers and young inspiring optometrists. I hope to improve wellbeing and mental health of current and future optometrists and provide support in the transition from student to professional life.

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As an optometry student about to embark on my final year, my mission is to represent and champion the passions of young members within the optometric profession, fostering a positive culture that enhances student engagement and establishes an innovative network for early career optometrists.

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I am excited to be involved with the ECONA student engagement subcommittee. ECONA engages with and helps to support newly graduated and early career optometrists by providing support, resources and working closely with Optometry NSW/ACT. I hope to assist ECONA in these goals moving forward.

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I am excited to be a part of the ECONA committee and my aim is to strengthen relationships between optometrists, corporate bodies and other stakeholders. I believe that fostering these relationships will enable the profession to move forward in a positive direction.

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"I believe ECONA is the perfect platform to actively represent and support young optometrists - we face experiences and challenges in our early career that eventually become fundamental in dictating our passions and ideas around our profession. We are also frequently reminded that optometry is changing. As a member of this committee, I will strive to establish a sustainable and rewarding future for young optometrists.”

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“I believe ECONA represents an opportunity for us to better shape the future of optometry, as we face the ever-growing demands of an ageing population. I look forward to working alongside like-minded peers to strive for increasing optometric scope and greater unity both within optometry and the wider health care community.”

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“My passion in optometry lies within Indigenous and rural community health. I believe in the need for strong advocacy and leadership in these areas. I am dedicated to continually promoting the need for allied health services within small communities. I believe that optometry services should be accessible to everyone and be delivered in a culturally safe way.”

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“I am excited and humbled to have the opportunity to help shape the future of the optometric profession. The young members of the profession represent a diverse cohort, and I am keen to be able to push forward an agenda of progressive and innovative practice to improve patient care.”

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“I’m excited to be involved in ECONA because I am passionate about mentoring graduates. As a regional optometrist, I know firsthand the potential for mental health struggles to occur outside the cities and I’d like to combat this. Finally, I’d love to be at the interface of our professional alliance with ophthalmologists.”

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I am keen to be part of ECONA with the desire to advance the field of optometry and to help transition those who are new to their careers. Furthermore, I would like to deliver further education and development in an engaging and interest manner.

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“My vision for the future includes specialisation within optometry, increased therapeutic and surgical scope of practice, and better relationships with ophthalmology. As an optometrist in an independent practice, I’d also like to see more networking, social and industry events for all optometrists – not just those in the large corporates.”

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I look forward to working with the ECONA team as it presents itself as a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of changing tides in the optometry landscape. I hope that we can realise the full potential of our profession within the healthcare system and be proud of the positive impact we have on our patients.

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“I'm grateful to be part of the ECONA committee and look forward to the opportunities ahead. In this position, I hope to improve the transition for students becoming optometrists, to provide specialised professional development events, and to empower optometrists to take on minor in-office surgical procedures.”

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“Observing the devaluation of other allied health professions has given me the desire to ensure that optometry does not go down the same route. I want optometry to remain a valued, respected and essential element of the health-care community. It is imperative that young optometrists working for corporates remain active in the wider optometry community and I feel that ECONA has a key role to play in guiding them.”

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I am excited to be a part of ECONA, working with other passionate optometrists to support, identify and resolve issues pertaining to rural and remote optometry practice. Having commenced my career in a remote practice in Broken Hill, I have seen and experienced some of the challenges for optometry in these settings. I look forward to building relationships with the wider healthcare community and advocating for our profession to achieve the best clinical outcomes for our patients and communities.

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I am excited to be involved with ECONA Scope of Optometry subcommittee to strengthen the role of optometrists in healthcare in Australia. It is important to secure the profession in diverse skillset and capabilities and support early career optometrists through a range of career options to excel in their future.

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I am excited for the opportunity to sit on the ECONA subcommittee. The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for everyone, including optometry students. Lockdowns have caused uncertainty in graduation timeframes and employment opportunities. In this position I endeavour to better connect current optometry students to optometrists, to help make the transition from being a student to an optometrist just that little bit easier.

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As a recent grad, I am excited to be given the opportunity to be a part of ECONA and contribute to its initiatives to our always evolving profession. Students are often faced with uncertainty and are left with unanswered questions. With this in mind, it is my hope to provide reassurance and act as a conduit between students, early career optometrists and Optometry Australia NSW/ACT.

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Student engagement with suppliers and prospective corporate and independent employers is one of the crucial stepping stones to developing our careers as optometrists. I am critically passionate about helping early career optometrists and students better communicate with these groups. Navigating the career space can be difficult and scary! And so I hope to bring my experience to assist both students and early career optometrists in helping to articulate their professional goals, needs and unique skill sets to our wider optical and ophthalmological community.

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As a graduate optometrist working in Dubbo, I am thrilled to be joining the ECONA regional sub-committee. I am delighted to be part of the future, leading and representing the optometrists who work alongside GPs and ophthalmologists. I want to broaden our scope of practice and provide more educational resources to other early career optometrists for their professional development. I look forward to promoting better community awareness of the optometrist role and encourage other young optometrists to co-manage and support the local ophthalmologists to provide the best clinical experience and care to our patients.

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I'm incredibly excited to be a part of the ECONA committee, specifically within the regional sub-committee. As an early career optometrist who has worked predominantly in regional areas, in ACT and interstate since graduating, I understand first hand the unique challenges and issues that arise from the limited resources regional optometrists encounter. I hope to be someone my fellow colleagues can reach out to with any ideas or concerns, and act as a spokesperson for them in working towards a better support network for all optometrists.

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Being part of the Corporate Engagement subcommittee is a great opportunity to progress and protect the value of optometrists in the allied health industry. As an optometrist working for both independent and corporate practices, I would like to provide more insight on ways we can be more reputable and valuable to our patients. I am a firm supporter of networking with other optometrists, ophthalmologists and GPs, where knowledge and experience shared can provide our patients with the best clinical solutions for their concerns.

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I am excited to be part of ECONA on the Rural and Regional Subcommittee as I find working in a regional area myself, connection and engagement with colleagues and linking into face to face CPD can be challenging. Therefore I would love to be able to help encourage online/zoom meetings to build a support network between regional members as an opportunity to share any challenges, as well as triumphs, that working in a regional area brings.

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I am thrilled to be a part of ECONA and contribute to its important initiatives. As a current optometry student, I understand the difficulty in navigating the industry and future job prospects. As such, I am extremely passionate about making the student to early career optometrist transition less daunting and more exciting!

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“I am excited for the opportunity to contribute to the ECONA committee. As a young optometrist practising in a rural area, I am passionate about ensuring that the voices of optometrists like me are heard, and that everyone within the profession is well supported by the association regardless of geographic location. I want to ensure that optometrists remain an integral and respected member of the allied health community in NSW and Australia.”

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I am excited to be granted this position to represent the voices of my fellow student optometrists. As an optometrist-in-training, I share with my colleagues our mutual hopes, dreams and uncertainties about our future in this ever-changing field of optometry. It is my aim to promote the positive practicing culture and the greater opportunities for student engagement to ease our transition into competent mature clinicians.

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“As an optometrist working in an independent practice for the first time and living in Sydney for the first time, I am forging my future. This perfectly aligns with my mission for ECONA: to empower early career optometrists to build our future in the way we imagine it to be.”

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“I’m excited to be part of ECONA and passionate about bringing together and fostering strong connections between early career optometrists from all backgrounds. I believe we must build a united front to take control of the future of our profession.”

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I have dedicated my efforts to both honing my comprehensive optometric clinical skills and also exploring different ways for me to extend my professional impact including Indigenous eyecare (Awabakal), academic lecturing (University of Sydney, Sydney Eye Hospital), and educational product development (NSW Eye Emergency App, AAO Eyewiki).

I bring a wealth of clinical and non-clinical experience to the Optometry NSW/ACT Board to promote better collaborations with our ophthalmic colleagues, and emphasis on the vital role of optometrists in Indigenous and public health.

My focus as a director of Optometry NSW/ACT is to protect our organisational values to lead, engage, unite, and promote optometry. I aim to ensure the sustainability and continuous evolution of our sector by providing objective evaluations to reduce risk and improve operations.

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I sincerely appreciate that there is a group of optometrists who are committed to supporting their peers in the corporate industry. I recognise that corporate employment dominates the industry and that a large proportion of our peers work in a corporate environment. As this will likely remain the case for the future I think it is really important that there are resources available to support those in the corporate environment. I would love to support ECONA in developing resources and sharing knowledge on what can be expected from corporate optometry, especially for new graduates. Being a new grad at a rural franchise, I believe that I am in a position to support the ECONA Corporate Subcommittee continue the great work they already do.

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Having graduated in 2020 with limited amount of patient exposure in my final placement year and then moving interstate to a regional town, I understand the challenges that many graduate optometrists are facing. I look forward to be part of ECONA and connecting with the optometrists in rural and regional areas. I hope to grow together and support one another.