Five Tasmanian optometrists from Total Eyecare have been awarded the Order of Timor Leste medal by East Timor president Mr Jose Ramos-Horta in recognition of their extraordinary voluntary service to the people of East Timor from 2002 to 2020.
A media release from optometry network ProVision said the honoured optometrists – Mr Andrew Koch, Mr Andrew Maver, the late Mr Micheal Knipe, Mr Sib Payne, and Mr Colin McKenzie – were founding members of the ProVision Optometry Team (PVOT), a groundbreaking humanitarian initiative that transformed eyecare in East Timor following the country’s independence.
The program began in May 2002 when Koch made the first volunteer trip to East Timor during their independence celebrations. At that time, the newly independent nation had no eyecare workers or resources, and the capital city of Dili bore the scars of extreme devastation from Indonesian militia actions.
“There was literally no eyecare infrastructure when we first arrived,” recalled the team. “We started with treating eye trauma and disease, providing spectacles, and training local nurses in basic eyecare skills.”
What began as a single volunteer mission evolved into an 18-year commitment that would fundamentally establish the optometry profession in East Timor. The PVOT, supported by ProVision, worked in collaboration with Optometry Giving Sight, the East Timor Eye Program, and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
The release said that, from 2003 to 2019, more than 40 individual ProVision optometrists participated in the volunteer program, creating lasting change across East Timor and:
• Providing comprehensive eyecare to thousands of people in remote areas
• Establishing eye clinics in all districts across the country
• Training local eyecare workers and optical technicians
• Launching the optometry profession in East Timor
• Supporting the training of Timorese eye surgeons through collaboration with Australian ophthalmologists.
The program officially concluded in 2020, having successfully transitioned eyecare services to local management under the Timor Leste Ministry of Health.
Among those honoured posthumously during the recent ceremony in Melbourne was Knipe, whose contributions to optometry extended far beyond the East Timor program.
In a distinguished career, he served as ProVision’s longest-standing chairman for 15 years and was elected to the National Council of Optometry Australia, serving a term as national president. His dedication was formally recognised in the 2015 Australia Day Honours with the citation “for significant service to optometry through executive roles with professional organisations and to the community of East Timor”.
Following his death in February 2019, the Micheal George Knipe AM Memorial address was established to honour his contribution to optometry, ProVision, and the welfare of people in Australia and overseas, and is presented at every ProVision biennial conference.
ProVision said it provided vital funding support and played a key role in recruiting optometrists for the East Timor Eye Program. The success and positive public profile of the PVOT later inspired other organisations in the optical industry to establish their own overseas volunteer programs.
More reading
ProVision offers professional video shoot in ProSocial competition
Social media tool from ProVision offers over 2,500 digital assets
ProVision launches online buying and selling hub for independents
