Born into a large Toolamba orchard family, Gerri Griffin (nee Cross) went on to enjoy a 52-year career in pharmacy and life in Hamilton, western Victoria. When Covid-19 hit, the veteran chemist came out of semi-retirement to help out her local store. Hamilton Spectator reporter Georgina Morrison talks to Mrs Griffin about her early life around Shepparton and her determination to become a pharmacist.
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When Gerri Griffin was in Year 11, a physics teacher encouraged her to pursue pharmacy.
This led to an outstanding 52-year career to date.
Mrs Griffin recently came out of semi-retirement to help her hometown of Hamilton through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, after stepping back from her full-time role.
Reflecting on her career and her wealth of experience, Ms Griffin said it had been a journey.
Born and raised in Toolamba, Mrs Griffin grew up on her parents Alistair and Kitty Cross’ orchard and attended Toolamba Primary School.
“I had no prior relationship to pharmacy there,” she told The Spectator.
When Mrs Griffin’s teacher floated the idea to her and “kept mentioning it”, a young Gerri spoke to her mother – connecting her with a family friend who worked at the Alex Briggs pharmacy in Maude St, the largest pharmacy in Shepparton at the time.
Interest piqued, and Mrs Griffin decided to pursue higher education after Year 12.
Out of 1000 students at Shepparton High School, she was among four who went to university, and the only female.
“Country kids didn’t go to university; there was only really one at that point, which was Melbourne, then Monash started later on,” she said.
“I’d only been to Melbourne once in my life before, as we didn’t travel much back then.”
While most girls went off to study nursing, to teaching colleges, or work locally in places like the bank – Mrs Griffin broke the mould, and her parents were very supportive.
“My dad was keen for me to have a go, and in those days, there were scholarships which helped make it possible – as it was a fee-paying course back then, before they became free for a period,” she said.
Mrs Griffin’s father had emigrated from Scotland with his parents in the Great Depression years, so did not have the opportunity for a formal education.
“I think he could have achieved it if he had the opportunity and I think that’s why he was always so supportive and proud of me,” Mrs Griffin said.
In 1965, Mrs Griffin began her diploma.
“Pharmacy wasn’t a uni course then, it was a college diploma – but at that time, there was a lot of pressure for it to be recognised as a course,” she said.
Mrs Griffin marched alongside students to lobby Henry Bolte at Government House a couple of times and when the Victorian Institute of Colleges formed in 1968, she was in “the very first group of non-university members”.
After completing her traineeship that year at the Alfred Hospital and registering, Ms Griffin returned to Shepparton for a couple of years.
Following the death of her beloved father during this time, she made the move to London.
“It was the beginning of the ‘great Australian working holiday’; a lot of young people went by ship, I went by plane,” she said.
“I had a cousin working in London who I stayed with, and I ended up staying for two years; there was abundant work, and (chemists) were in much demand.”
Mrs Griffin worked in Boots in London's Oxford St, and vividly remembered her first Christmas working there.
“My first Christmas Eve there, away from home – it started to snow and around 4 pm we all ran out into the street and threw snowballs in the common – it was just magical,” she said.
During her time overseas, Ms Griffin worked in different locations.
“It was quite easy to combine travelling with locum work; during my time there, I was able to make trips into Europe and Russia,” she said.
In 1972, Mrs Griffin returned to Melbourne and undertook locum work in country Victoria and Melbourne.
She managed a pharmacy in Lonsdale St, which she subsequently purchased and worked in for a long time.
It was in Melbourne Mrs Griffin met her future husband, Hamilton farmer Robert Griffin, through mutual friends.
“I hadn’t been to the western part of the state before, and he suggested I come up and visit – I loved it; it was very sociable, I met lots of people and enjoyed it, and Robert’s family had a lovely property,” she said.
“It all came together; I was a country girl at heart, and always thought I would move back to a rural area.”
In 1985 the pair married and had two daughters, who are both health professionals today – one an occupational therapist, the other an osteopath.
About six years ago, Mrs Griffin retired from full-time work, but continued on a locum part-time and casual basis.
“I had no intention of fully retiring, but wanted to down-scale,” she said.
In January this year, Hamilton's James Dean Pharmacy had a locum pull out last minute, and Mrs Griffin ended up filling in.
“COVID-19 ramped everything up and they needed me full-time,” she said.
“It was really intense and demanding, especially with doctors doing telephone consults, emailing and faxing scripts, so there was a lot more pressure on pharmacies.”
Mrs Griffin said it was difficult with customers getting frustrated by new social distancing measures and wait-times.
“There was a lot of angst everywhere, because people didn’t know what was happening, but everyone is aware of it now and coping quite well – it’s become the new normal,” she said.
“When I worked again last Friday, there was a distinct feeling of settling, and the pharmacy has a wonderful new pharmacist – so I’ve been able to get back to semi-retirement.”
Looking back on her experience, Mrs Griffin said it was “a very rewarding career”, and it allowed her to “combine family and work life quite comfortably”.
“I enjoyed mentoring younger and upcoming pharmacists,” she said.
“In the mentoring process, it’s so important to encourage – especially females – to have a go at what they want to do and support them early in their career to help build their confidence.”
Mrs Griffin said she was pleased to be able to help the pharmacy out when they needed her – and doesn’t feel she’ll hang up her chemist hat soon.
“I clocked up 50 years in 2018, I’ll probably renew for next year, and take each year as it comes,” she said.
In the meantime, Ms Griffin said there was lots to do in her retirement, and she would enjoy it with “grandchildren, golf, gardening and a bit of hiking”.
Story and picture courtesy of Hamilton Spectator.