Comment: Still showing vigour on its 50th

Mention of the General Optical Councilheadquarters, Harley Street, conjures up images of oak-panelled Georgian grandeur, patriarchal tradition and conservatism.But this week, as the GOC celebrates it golden jubilee, we can reflect on what a young, vibrant and pragmatic body the Council is.

Fifty years may seem like a meaty period of time but in optical politics it is little more than a heartbeat.The many optical societies and bodies failed time and again before the Second World War to coalesce into a single accepted organisation and bring professional status to optics.

It was left to Sir Ronald Russell in July 1958 to bring a Private Members'Bill to the House to place the Opticians Act in the statute books. This was both a registration vehicle for optical professionals and a signal for the creation of the GOC. At the time this was seen by commentators as the acceptance by society of optics as a profession.