A highlight of the annual ADONZ conference is celebrating the latest cohort of dispensing opticians who have completed the Australasian College of Dispensing (ACOD) and OptiBlocks Cert IV in Optical Dispensing.
The 2023 meeting was no exception, with top student awards going to Laura Thompson (first in course), Antonia Kohler (second) and Hannah Spencer (third).
This year’s graduation went like clockwork and the enthusiastic students made it truly memorable, said ACOD director Chedy Kalach. “Getting back to regular face-to-face workshops meant we had a large cohort of students progressing through the course together. They were all supporting each other and happy about their fellow students’ successes.” There was a real buzz in the air as this new community of certified DOs officially joined the profession, he said.
ACOD director James Gibbins agreed, saying he was particularly pleased to see Fiji-based graduate Sylvester Prasad at the graduation, accompanied by his wife Kitty. Prasad’s attendance was made possible thanks to a generous sponsorship from Specsavers, said Gibbins. “The fact that Sylvester was able to complete the course and attend all the workshops in person in the first place was also achieved thanks to support from Australian optometrist Mark Hansen and ACOD.” Looking ahead, discussions are already underway for an Optical Dispensers Australia Fiji outreach programme led by Prasad, he added.
Sylvester Prasad and his wife Kitty at ADONZ' Gala dinner
Class of 2023
Chelsea Atkinson
Tyler Booty
Ailish Cain
Adalee Forbes
Ramandeep Gill
Gloria Hazeldine
Antonia Kohler
Tim Moseley
Peter O'Conner
Mahafrin Palsetia
Serena Pamment (Harrison)
Rhiannon Pearce
Sylvester Prasad
Emma Rattray
Elizabeth Robson-Clark
Chetan Sharma
Tong Youn Shin
Hannah Spencer
Keziah Taeiloa-McCornick
Rheannon Teao
Laura Thompson
Lucy Walsh
Jaimie Williams
Jill Wilson-Wihongi