Te Awamutu Courier - February 1st, 2007 - Te Awamutu Online

As one door closes...
By Cathy Asplin
Jim Irvine cheerfully
greets many of
his customers by name
while he is fi lling their
prescriptions.
Chances are he’s not
only looked after them
for many years, he’s
probably looked after
their parents or children
as well.
But after 31½ years
running ‘Irvine’s Pharmacy’
on Alexandra
Street he’s calling it a
day.
“The business has
been on the market for
some time, but there’s
been no real interest, so
it’s time to move on.
“It’s a bit sad to be
saying goodbye, but
that’s life.”
Mr Irvine initially
purchased the pharmacy
in 1975 from Tim
Toswill.
He had earlier completed
his four year apprenticeship,
done some
relieving for other local
chemists and worked
several years as a commercial
traveller.
“When I took over
there was no weekend
trading, no computerised
system, none of
the part charges etc on
prescriptions we have
today.
“We used to mix many
of the prescriptions by
hand as well, but that’s
not allowed today.”
Mr Irvine says many
of the medicines prescribed
then are no
longer in use, while
there are many more
today that had not even
been heard of when he
started.
Over the years there
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CUSTOMER Lisharn Carr gets some helpful advice from Jim Irvine (complete
with Canteen bandana) on his fi nal day of trading. 032075AD
have been many changes
to the health system
that have impacted on
his business.
“Every time someone
in Wellington dreams
up a new system we
have to implement it
- we’re at the coal face
so to speak - if someone
paid $3 last time for
their prescript on and
have to pay $15 this
time we have to explain
why.”
With just Mr Irvine
to fi ll prescriptions it
means he is always on
call.
Lunch is usually ‘on
the run’ and often he
doesn’t get a chance
to start his ‘cuppa’ let
alone fi nish it.
With six-day trading
and duty chemist hours
he has to employ a reliever
if he ever wants
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On one occasion
(2002) he headed overseas
for a well earned
break and was only
gone days when the
chemist was the target
of an aggravated robbery.
But, reliever Robin
Bennett and Mr Irvine’s
wife Marjorie decided
not to let him know
anything about it.
“It wasn’t until a
friend picked him up
at the airport that he
discovered what had
happened.”
When Mr Irvine got
into the car he saw a
copy of the Courier on
the seat.
“My mate said I
might recognise something
inside.”
It was then Mr Irvine
read about the fi rearm
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wielding robber and the
chaos it caused.
While he missed that
event, there are plenty
of other times he has
been called out by police
in the early hours
of the morning.
“That means coming
down to clean up the
broken glass, work out
what‘s been taken and
ringing a friendly builder
to come and board up
the shop.”
He certainly won’t
be missing those early
morning calls, but he
will be missing all the
contact with customers.
“It’s been a central
part of my life, but
that’s now come to a
close.
“I’ll be sorting out for
a few weeks, then I get
to do what I like, when I
like, for a change!”
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PAGE 5