April 2018 sees the end of my tenure as ABDO president. I have been doing what is customary at times like these and reflecting on my term of office. We are looking forward to our annual Optrafair dinner, this year with presidential handover. As many of you already know, we at ABDO use the occasion to honour members who have dedicated many years of service to the association and this year is no different.
Stalwart members receive accolades from their peers for a job well done, often going above and beyond what is expected of them and usually in addition to their ‘day job’. ABDO, like many other membership organisations, is fortunate to have a whole band of committed individuals who give generously of their time and talents to make our organisation the success it is today.
Membership organisations —such as ABDO — moving forward — will have to change and evolve to meet the ever shifting needs and demands of changing demographics within our membership.
Recently we have welcomed more females into the profession, more part-time working, more locum opticians and more millennials – each presenting a different challenge and tasking us to work hard to engage with our members and reach out to them.
It is, after all, their association. Gone are the days when a yearly letter sent by post with a request for annual membership renewal was the only communication we had. Today, with the advent of email and social media we communicate in a completely different way and everything is instant and transparent.
So I wish ABDO well, may it remain relevant and significant in the lives of its members.