After 50 years in optometry - 48 of those in Forbes - it's time for Phillip Wells to retire.
The good news is he's delighted to be leaving his practice in excellent hands with the arrival of Graham Shipway, who's relocated from Bunbury in WA.
"It's been a lovely time, I've had great patients - a really loyal client base," Phillip said.
"So many have become friends ... I've seen probably three generations in some families.
"I was just grateful that Graham has come and let me retire gracefully."
Latest Stories
Phillip has been a constant at the Rankin Street practice since July 1976.
"The practice had been established in 1975 by a friend of mine from university ... I've been here ever since," he said with a smile this week.
Philip had spent time in Forbes attending Red Bend Catholic College and it was while he was a student there that he was inspired to study optometry.
Phillip was taken to the optometrist and experiencing the difference of discovering he was short-sighted and getting a pair of prescription glasses set him on the pathway for his career.
"To me, that was a wonderful thing to do, to be able to make people see clearly," he said.
Decades on, optometry has changed but Phillip's vision to help people never changed: he and his practice have adapted to meet the changing needs of our population with the technology available.
Everything from an extended average life expectancy to increasing screen time has contributed to increased needs in the field of optometry.
Phillip has also seen cataract surgery go from a procedure requiring several days' hospitalisation to a routine day procedure and - with the introduction of intra ocular lenses - recovery times are much faster.
We are more likely to wear sunglasses and protect our eyes from UV, but also more likely to be using screens from a young age - and need regular eye checks even through childhood.
Of course technology has also had a huge impact within optometry with technology enabling earlier detection and monitoring of sight-threatening changes.
Lenses have gone from being made of glass to being resin, which is lighter, safer to wear, and has a higher UV filter.
At the practice at 67 Rankin Street, Sue Hancock will continue in her role, providing her usual friendly introduction to the practice, and Graham has taken the reins.
Graham is an experienced optometrist, with experiencing serving regional and remote Western Australia.
Phillip and Fleur extend their best wishes to Graham.
They have plans for travel and spending more time with their grandchildren, as well as in the garden and on the golf course.
"I've been here 48 years, this is basically home now," Phillip said.
