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Australian News
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Thursday, 06 March 2008 |
Woolworths says it will open optometry stores within most of its 148 Big W stores following the successful launch of four Brisbane stores and a trial of the concept in Adelaide.
Woolworths CEO Michael Luscombe told the Australian Financial Review the company would capitalise on Big W’s foot traffic and large footprint rather than opening standalone stores.
Big W Vision stores are now successfully operating at Chermside, Strathpine, Carindale and Capalaba.
Source: InsideRetailing
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Australian News
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Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
Neale Pugh, managing director of Leightons Opticians, has resigned to join Specsavers in Australia as a development director for its first stores in the state of Victoria.
Pugh has headed the family-owned Leightons business for the past 12 years and he will be replaced by the current professional services director Sue Cockayne.
In a statement Leighton's chairman, Richard Leighton said: 'Neale is returning to his native Australia to take up a new position there. I would like to publicly thank Neale for his significant contribution to the company.'
Leighton confirmed the appointment of Cockayne adding: 'Sue Cockayne, who has worked alongside Neale as professional services director, will be taking on the role of managing director from March 1.'
Pugh refused to comment on his appointment, but a spokesperson for Specsavers confirmed Pugh would be 'joining the company as state development director to help advance our retail expansion in Australia. He is expected to relocate to Victoria in March to take up his new position'.
Specsavers' long-awaited Australian expansion will start in the state of Victoria where the firm has located its headquarters and distribution centre. Expansion will be rolled out state by state from then on. Specsavers is expecting to open between 200 and 250 stores in the next three years.
Leightons was founded 80 years ago by HO Leighton in Southampton, the current chairman's father. It currently has branches in 35 towns across south and south-east England.
Source: Optician
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Australian News
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Wednesday, 13 February 2008 |
He has been almost deified since his death 15 years ago. Indeed, his name is substituted for God's in his own foundation's slogan "For Fred's sake".
It is the sort of joke he would appreciate. Fred Hollows, who once studied for the priesthood, died an atheist. In the end he cared too much about humans to devote his life to God.
Yesterday some of those humans emerged in the baking central Australian heat to thank him again for his extraordinary gift at an intimate remembrance ceremony at his graveside in Bourke.
Among them was Tran Van Giap, a poor Vietnamese boy with a severely damaged eye who squeezed to the front of a crowd gathered around Hollows on a trip there in 1992.
He presented his face to Hollows, who seized it with both hands and looked back seemingly enraged at the injury before him.
What the seven-year-old did not know was that Hollows was ravaged with cancer and had just checked himself out of hospital.
He died on February 10 the following year.
And so Giap yesterday completed a pilgrimage of more than 7000km to Bourke to thank the man who turned his life around that day -- and to assure him his work had not been in vain.
"Thanks to the surgery I have tried to become a good person and a good citizen," said Giap, who is now the first person in his family to have gone to university.
He is not alone. The Fred Hollows Foundation gives sight to almost 74,000 people a year.
It provided other eyecare for a further million people that same year.
Fred's widow Gabi is quick to point out, it does not come cheaply.
"People say, 'If we give you the money today you'll spend it tomorrow' and I say: 'We spent it yesterday'," she told the gathered crowd of friends and family.
It was a warm and celebratory gathering.
Several times Gabi was given the wind-up by her children. And of course the PA system played up.
One speaker was offered a megaphone but considered it perhaps not entirely appropriate for a memorial service.
Far more so was the late-night booze up at the Port of Bourke Hotel the night before and the nip of whisky drunk to Fred's memory as he listened silently from the red dirt that he loved.
Source: HeraldSun
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Australian News
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Thursday, 24 January 2008 |
There are currently 300,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision. It is a figure that is expected to double by 2020.
This alarming figure sets a real challenge for Vision Australia that need to ensure service delivery to its current clients in the most effective manner possible while planning for an increase in demand for its services over the next decade.
About one-third of its funding comes from Government sources, the rest from private donations, investment income, some fees for service and equipment sales.
Over the past six months Vision Australia has sold three Melbourne properties: St Kilda Road, High Street, Prahran, and its Burwood Education Centre site.
Vision Australia are remaining in the three buildings as tenants for up to two years and payment for some of the properties is extended over this period.
The properties were sold to enable Vision Australia to deliver services to areas of high demand, now and into the future.
Last year Vision Australia bought four properties in Sydney and Melbourne, so some of the proceeds will pay for these sites and to develop new Vision Australia centres in other areas of need. The funds from these sales will be used to support the purchase of more sites as they are identified.
The Education Centre will be relocated before the beginning of the 2010 school year, as do the staff now located at St Kilda Road and High Street. As such, Vision Australia are now evaluating all of its options, ranging from the purchase of new, accessible work locations to a major redevelopment of the Kooyong site.
In addition, proceeds of these sales will assist Vision Australia's expansion into Queensland. Some of the funds from the property sales will also be invested to ensure Vision Australia can respond quickly to growth opportunities and cover any unplanned expenses.
Vision Australia are now reaping the rewards of the merger, the aim of which was to combine the resources of several organisations to best serve the blindness community.
Source: Vision Australia
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Australian News
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Monday, 24 December 2007 |
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eyesmart.com.au will take a break from 25 December 2007 to 02 January 2008. The team at eyesmart would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2008.
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Australian News
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Tuesday, 18 December 2007 |
Champagne corks, occy straps, golf balls - all are potential dangers this festive season, according to a new report.
The "occy" strap is the biggest cause of serious eye injuries and while backyard cricket is an Australian institution but it's also on the hit list for causing serious eye injuries.
In an effort to increase awareness of potential risks this festive season The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital has released its countdown of what causes common eye injuries during summer.
The Emergency Department's Dr Nima Pakrou said a stretched "occy" strap, when released, can hit the eye with the same force as a fast bowler - often with disastrous results.
Champagne corks feature highly on the list as the "bubbly" party season reaches overdrive.
"A harmful eye injury can be avoided simply by pointing the champagne cork away from yourself or a loved one as you open it," Dr Pakrou said.
The hospital also warned that while Craig Parry's win in the Australian Open at the weekend might inspire the golfer in all of us, "once-a-year" golfers should be careful on the course.
"The smaller the projectile the bigger the damage to the eye can be. We encourage all golf enthusiasts and spectators to be careful when on the course over the summer," Dr Pakrou said.
"We want people to have fun this holiday season but we do ask people to be careful and to take preventative measures.
"Too often we see patients suffer severe vision impairment and even vision loss as a result of preventable accidents - that is what we are trying to avoid this holiday season."
Source: News Limited
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