Snapshot of the past

A photograph of Rob Stewart and his staff at the old pharmacy premises in Princes Way, Drouin in June 1993.

The staff members are Jane Stoll, Jennifer Brown and Nicole Shanahan.

Geoff Wadham set up a small pharmacy in Drouin in 1954. He qualified as a pharmacist after four years study as part of a rehabilitation scheme to train ex-servicemen. His wife Shirley was also a pharmacist.

Rob Stewart purchased the business at 99 Princes Way, Drouin from Geoff and Shirley in 1982.

A new fit out of the store was completed, and it transpired that the shopfitter was the son of the original shopfitter the Wadhams had engaged to set up their store.

At this time, prescriptions were copied into a patent prescription book with an alphabetical index of patients, handwritten repeat authorisations and typed labels were used in dispensing, and some drug names were kept secret.

As the business expanded, a new shop was built on vacant land behind the existing store.

This became 1 Hope St, Drouin and is today Chemist Discount Centre.

The other pharmacy in Drouin at 33 Princes Way, Drouin was opened in 1892 by Otto Rasmussen.

In 1939, William Bruce Monteath purchased the chemist from Kathleen Killeen. Mr Monteath returned from World War II and was in partnership with Alan Rogers from 1950.

Today this business is the Amcal Pharmacy. Photograph and information courtesy of the Drouin History Group.

Here more stories of “Pharmacy in Drouin” at storiesofdrouin.com.au as told by Rob Stewart and Isaac Harris.

Providing further information on last week’s Snapshot on Drouin identity William Russell, Laurel Billington clarified the second fire at Munroe and Morse in Drouin occurred in the early 1950s, not 1961 as printed.

The fire occurred after her father Bill Waugh purchased the business. Ms Billington still has a tin of melted coins from the fire.