I would like to inform you and your readers that a particularly fine dispensing optician is retiring after fifty six years: Fredrick Leonard Keast of Keast Opticians. I was his receptionist/manager and I feel he deserves a mention in Optician.
Mr Keast started his career with D Davis Keeler, a family firm in Lemon Street, Truro, Cornwall. This was a firm who gave the best possible training with visits to the training centres in London.
Mr Keast passed his exams and became manager in Keelers Opticians, Bond Street, Redruth. There, he worked with many surgeons and specialists. He worked at Keelers for over 30 years until a friend, Mr Norman Jones wanted to retire. Mr Keast took over Mr Jones’ two practices at 18 Commercial Road, Hayle and 21 Alverton Street, Penzance. At this point he truly came into his own.
Every patient has different needs for different situations. He spent all of his time addressing his patients' needs, finding out about different new lenses and coming up with fresh ideas about how he could help them to best advantage. If they couldn’t collect their spectacles, he delivered them himself on Sundays and spent time getting to know his patients with mobility problems. If any of the multiple opticians were unable to make up complicated prescriptions, they were sent to Mr Keast.
Mr Keast retired from his two practices in Hayle and Penzance at the end of July 2015 and I left a few months later. I consider him to be the ‘Optician of the Decade’.
Mr Keast does not know that I have written to you and he certainly would not like to be interviewed as he is a very modest gentleman.
Should you include this in the Optician, I very much hope that Richard Keeler sees this tribute as they were great friends.
Susan Gilbert, Penzance