Portarlington Pharmacy owner approaches 21 year milestone

IT is sometimes said that the number 21 is associated with fulfilment and happiness, which is exactly what Louise McLaughlin has been gifting customers at the Portarlington Pharmacy for the last 21 years.

The long-time Portarlington resident has been advising on side effects and dispensing medication to the local community for the better part of two decades, still relishing in the sense of community the Bellarine town provides.

It was while residing in the Western District of Victoria as a kid that Mrs McLaughlin first encountered the tight-knit closeness that a regional country town provides, helping her mother at the local pharmacy whenever she was asked to.

“It seemed like working at a pharmacy, there was always a way that you could be involved in and be a part of the community ranging from someone having a new baby right through until their later stages in life,” she said.

After spending five years in Melbourne at university to study and receive her pharmaceutical accreditation, Mrs McLaughlin made her way to Geelong Hospital to undertake her internship where shortly after, she was also offered the job.

Previous owners of the Portarlington Pharmacy, Chris Walsh and Jock Lee acquired the services of Mrs McLaughlin, alternating her shifts between Portarlington and the pair’s second pharmacy in Norlane.

Mrs McLaughlin bought into the ownership of Portarlington’s pharmacy once Mr Lee started to enter the early stages of his retirement and has since become the majority owner.

Being the leader of the pharmacy has come with many great rewards, but perhaps the biggest one for Mrs McLaughlin is her committed team of staff, which has made for long lasting friendships and a well-oiled machine.

“The staff are great,” Mrs McLaughlin said.

“They are probably as passionate about the community as I am. They know everybody by name, they are welcoming to new people that come into town and they will go above and beyond because they know the people.”

She then went on to give an example of how one of the pharmacy’s regular customers had locked her car keys in the car, which resulted in one of the staff running to the customer’s house to get a spare set to open the vehicle.

This level of commitment to the job was imperative to the pharmacy these past couple of years with the pandemic circling regional communities and institutions all over the country, she said.

“I am really proud of my team because, like everybody, initially they were unsure of what this virus was going to do, or what it was going to mean, yet they turned up for work every day following COVID procedures and bore the brunt of a lot of frustrations,” Mrs McLoughlin said.

While Louise McLoughlin might not be behind the pharmacy counter for another 21 years from now, the dedicated Portarlington resident said she looks forward to serving her coastal community for as long as she can.