EIGHTY-year-old Smithfield pharmacist Malcolm Anderson, who is still working alongside his son and granddaughter Mya, has been awarded life membership of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland, recognising a career spanning more than four decades.
Mr Anderson was honoured by Pharmacy Guild of Australia Queensland president Chris Owen, national president Professor Trent Twomey and Cairns Regional Council Deputy Mayor Brett Olds.
“Mal began his career in pharmacy in New Zealand, where he grew up, and has experience working in a number of countries across three different continents,” said Mr Owen.
“He’s been a member of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia for over 40 years and has been actively serving the Cairns community for almost 30 years as a pharmacist and part-owner.”
His son Phil Anderson has followed in his footsteps and is co-owner of Terry White Chemmart Marlin Coast and Mal’s granddaughter Mya has now joined the business as a pharmacy assistant.
Mr Anderson senior said the honour had personal significance.
“Personally, it’s a great honour. It’s hard to believe this time has gone really quick,” he said.
“Well, I started off when we made everything up by hand, and yes, we’re seeing the changes towards tablets. We’ve seen lots of changes.
“We’ve seen sleep apnoea become a big deal for us and we’ve seen huge advances in medicine. And obviously, a big thing at the moment is medicinal cannabis.”
With experience in the UK, Africa and New Zealand, Mr Anderson said Cairns had always been an easy place to stay.
“It’s a great place to be,” he said.
He said one of the highlights of his career had been seeing his family enter the profession.
“It has been fantastic ... it’s really been quite a highlight and I’m very proud of my family.”
Mr Anderson said pharmacy remained a dynamic field.
“Pharmacy is going through a very exciting period. Obviously, we still have cannabis, prescribing rights and AI ... it’s a great career to be in at the moment.”
When asked what keeps him motivated after 50 years, he said: “It’s an exciting field to be in, and you help in the community, and you get great feedback from the community and it’s just getting better.”
Mr Owen said the life membership represented one of the guild’s highest honours.
“Mal’s commitment, over 40 years to his patients and to the Cairns community, has been nothing short of inspiring,” he said.
