Looking Back - June 2024 - Morwell’s chemists

By Leo Billington

Morwell’s chemists - unfortunately forgotten

Millions of Australians take complementary medicines each day. They are found in supermarkets, health food stores, pharmacies, from complementary health providers and on the internet.

To set the scene - ‘chemists’ are what they were once known. ‘Pharmacists’ is now the correct word. Admittedly one large Australian chain store still uses the old word; a company owned by pharmacists!

‘Druggists’ was another label - not advisable these days. All three names were used in Morwell’s history.

First, the historical context. Government surveyor, James Robinson conducted the first surveys for Morwell’s streets during 1878. There was no real township before then. Robert Tolmie arrived about 1872, Roger O’Flaherty in 1878, Hazelwood Cemetery was founded in April 1879, the first train into Morwell on the Sale line was in 1879, John Koenig selected land in Jumbuck around 1890 and Mr John Barnes advertised his extensive range of Morwell and Traralgon properties for sale in August 1891.

One property listed was at the corner of Commercial Road and Tarwin Street - the first Morwell Post Office, built in 1880. This building was let at £40 per year and was known as Lot 8. In Tarwin Street, Lot 9 was also for sale - a chemist’s shop occupied by Mr William Sharp at £40 per year.

It is at this stage of Morwell’s history we start on chemist shops. About nineteen years after James Robinson undertook his surveys, William Sharp died – October 18, 1897, aged 77 years. Estimates vary greatly, but he seems to have been in business for about 15 years.

Back in the time, newspaper advertisements contained “elements of flexibility” however, are valuable as primary sources. It is about the time of William Sharp’s passing that another chemist shop established itself in Commercial Road, opposite the railway station.

The emergence of Witt & Co Limited was advertised (Morwell Advertiser, January 8, 1897) as druggists and members of the Pharmaceutical Society. This new business would carry a new stock of drugs, chemicals, patent medicines, perfumery and sundries. Moderate charges were promised and medicines would be pure. Skin restorers were available, useful to remove pimples, blotches, eczema and so on. In addition, teeth would be carefully extracted.

William, interred in Hazelwood Cemetery, appears to have been Morwell’s first chemist. His business was taken over by Mr G C Powell, who advertised himself as a consulting chemist.

Apparently, Mr Powell was also a qualified dentist, hence residents did not have to wait for his monthly visit from Melbourne - and anyway, he promised “Melbourne reduced prices.” The business soon became Powell & Sons, when two sons joined, both being dentists, and was based in Commercial Road, after Witt & Co.

Mr Powell’s business was subsequently purchased by Mr H Hunter in May 1899. His claim to fame was “as a pharmaceutical chemist of great experience.” Editorial in the Gippsland Farmers’ Journal - Traralgon, May 16, 1899 told residents “Mr Hunter is sure to become popular in Morwell as he is of a most genial and social disposition.”

Before Mr Hunter sold to Herbert H Brown, around 1901, extra competition was announced in the local paper, May 1901, when John Hall, owner of the Universal Emporium in Commercial Road, advertised that a “long felt want will be supplied.”

That “want” was to incorporate chemist, Mr J B Barker, formerly from Maffra and Brunswick, into the Universal Emporium. Here a “full stock of drugs and chemicals’ were available plus medicines for dogs, cattle and horses.

According to John Hall, this extra retail service “is licenced by the Pharmacy Board of Victoria.” Such a marvellous reassuring endorsement.

Mr Barker did not stay long and on April 18, 1902, residents were informed Herbert H Brown had taken over J B Barker’s business.

Born in Wodonga, Herbert Henry Brown’s business was eventually purchased by Mr Edwin Whimper Poynter in about 1915 - who had been Brown’s manager for at least two years prior.

Upon Mr Poynter’s death in August 1935, the business was officially taken over by Mr A W Dixon although it was handed over to Dixon in 1931. When advertised for private sale in early in 1954, it was Mrs Poynter who owned two shops in Commercial Road - one was a chemist shop conducted by Mr W A Milner, at 168 Commercial Road, and next door, one being a jeweller, Mr Harold Butler.

While the shop remained occupied by chemists, Brown, Poynter, Dixon and then Mr Charles Edward Hickes, in 1935, Mr W A Milner - widely known by many residents as Bill Milner - was advertising in 1943 to take appointments for visiting qualified opticians.

Mr Poynter and Mr Hickes are interred at the Hazelwood Cemetery.

To conclude - Mr C M Davies, widely known as “Chas” announced his new shop opening on October 6, 1949 at 156 Commercial Road. He was previously manager of Mr J B Robinson’s chemist shop further eastwards along Commercial Road, opposite today’s bus interchange. Mr Robinson was a well-known Traralgon chemist who further expanded his business interests into Sale.

Conclusion, if there is one - the shop at 168 Commercial Road, whom many will recall as Milner’s Chemist certainly holds plenty of history; and that does not include businesses located upstairs such as Mr Harrison, photographer, a beautician and Mr Allan Froomes, Qualified Optometrist and Optician.