Nov 2016

Exciting programme for RANZCO’s 48th Congress
Your toothbrush should be the only thing
left to pack for RANZCO’s landmark annual
calendar event, kicking off in just a couple
of weeks in Melbourne. Here’s NZ Optics need to
know guide.
Location
The majority of the Congress will be held at the
Melbourne Convention Centre on South Wharf.
However, the graduation and awards ceremony
and president’s reception on the Sunday will
be held at Myer Mural Hall on Bourke Street.
This chic, Parisian style ballroom was originally
designed by Sydney Myer to host lavish parties
and private fashion shows, and is named after
the eight unique murals that adorn the walls.
The Congress Dinner will be held on Tuesday
evening in the Olympic room at the Melbourne
Cricket ground, offering unique views of Yarra
Park. Guided tours of the stadium will also be
available.
Programme
The Congress promises a selection of lectures,
rapid-fire presentations and poster sessions with
a line-up of international speakers that include
Professor Gerard Sutton from Vision Eye Institute
Australia, Professor Maarten Mourits from the
Melbourne: Host to RANZO’s 2016 Congress
Department of Ophthalmology at the Academic
Medical Centre, Netherlands, Professor Keith
Martin from the University of Cambridge and
Dr Fiona Costello from the University of Canada,
among others. There will be a Practice Managers
conference, GP and optometry workshops and
professional development sessions. Special
guests include Dr Helen Szoke, CEO of Oxfam
Australia, who will be speaking at the RANZCO
Graduation Ceremony. There will also be a
number of non-scientific sessions running
alongside the Scientific Congress. These sessions
include Ethics, Training and Professionalism and
Cultural Awareness in Practice.
Getting social
Don’t miss the welcome event in the exhibition
hall, with hawker-style food bars and wine
on offer. Outside of the awards ceremony and
the main dinner, there will also be a Practice
Managers’ dinner, a Young Fellows dinner, a
Senior and Retired Fellows dinner and a Registrar
Networking Event. If you find yourself with a
little free-time and fancy exploring Melbourne
you can download a series of self-guided walks
from www.thatsmelbourne.com.au. They will
guide you through Melbourne’s cobbled laneway
districts and Victorian arcades, full of history and
– in many cases – captivating street art, not to
mention the enticing alfresco eateries.
See you there! ▀
Dr Fiona Costello
Prof Gerard Sutton
Aye, eye sailor
Celebrating
milestones
IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
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Optometrist Ian Perry, a partner at Specsavers Wanganui,
moved to the Manawatu six years ago and loves the water.
“I’ve been sailing since the age of 11,” says Perry. “The boat I
most loved was the International Canoe which is a high performance
single-handed boat that I sailed in my 20’s and is quite different! I’ve
been crewing a 470 for the last few years.”
Perry is a member of Sailing Wanganui which runs sail training for
all ages, and is chairman of the Sailability Whanganui Trust, which
offers sailing as a sport to the disabled community.
“At an annual prize giving for Sailability Whanganui there was a
presentation from two club members who had just returned from
the 2013 Blind Sailing World Championships in Tokyo. Kiwi sailors,
Phil Paterson, who is sighted, and Russell Lowry who is totally blind
through retinitis pigmentosa.”
Paterson suggested Perry might join them as a tactician for the next
championship, so he was inspired to volunteer.
“I began working with Phil, Russell, and Jonathan Godfrey,” says
Perry. Godfrey, from Palmerston North, is totally blind from retinitis
pigmentosa. “Although new to sailing, he was fit from martial arts
and matched Russell’s strong competitive drive. Incredibly, we were
offered a place at the Blind Sailing World Championships in Chicago.”
With just a couple of months to train, the odds were against them –
many of the other teams were very experienced and had been sailing
together for years.
“It was a big ask to put this team into such a high-level international
competition,” says Perry, but it was an opportunity they weren’t
prepared to turn down. “The biggest barrier was that we were training
in winter with strong winds and the river in flood. We didn’t get to sail
against another boat until the practice day of the regatta!”
Perry’s biggest personal challenge was to verbalise all instructions
and not touch any of the controls. “My role was to be the team’s eyes,”
says Perry. “If I so much as touched the mainsheet or tiller we’d be
penalised – that’s a big ask for an active and reflexive sailor.”
When they arrived in Chicago they had two practice days and a
deteriorating weather forecast, but the rough weather at least gave
Perry’s team a fighting chance.
“We had five races on the first day and were disappointed with our
performance, but as the weather got worse the better we did!” he
laughs. “The other teams were used to training in smooth conditions,
while we’d had the brunt of Wanganui’s winter weather. In the last
and roughest race we placed first!”
Russell Lowry’s B1, (completely blind) team with Ian as tactician
had to content themselves with that one win on the first day, but the
B2 partially-sighted team of Dave Allerton and Dave Parker brought
home a gold medal.
“It was an amazing experience, although I found it mentally
exhausting!” says Perry, who says the team have not decided if they
will enter in 2017. “I sail to switch off, but as a tactician you have
to be hyper-alert and giving constant verbal commands. It was
an honour to spend time with the New Zealand and international
teams though, and especially to work with Russell who has so
much spirit.” ▀
10 AMO20403_Tecnis_Symfony_CelebratingMilestones_FPAdv.indd NEW ZEALAND OPTICS November 20161
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