IN the 1950s, Clarendon Presbyterian Ladies College student Helen Eyres could often be seen riding her bike from the Mair Street campus to Sturt Street\u2019s Ballarat College.<\/p>\n
Then Helen Gear, she regularly visited the boys\u2019 school to study chemistry and physics, with aspirations to become a pharmacist like her encouraging father, her uncle, and herbalist grandfather.<\/p>\n
This family tradition and their local business, Gear\u2019s Pharmacies always captured her interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a very early age, I went to the pharmacy with my father, and I just loved doing that. It was second nature to study pharmacy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In 1966, Mrs Eyres graduated from the Victorian College of Pharmacy, picking up a position at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Travelling to London, she worked at the University College and Hammersmith hospitals.<\/p>\n
At the end of 1969, Mrs Eyres was drawn back to Ballarat to be part of Gear\u2019s Pharmacies. In 1972, she became a partner.<\/p>\n
The brand was sold in the mid-90s, so Mrs Eyres returned to \u201crewarding\u201d hospital pharmacy. At St John of God Hospital she trained as an oncology pharmacist, working on the cancer ward and preparing chemotherapy treatments.<\/p>\n
Going back to retail pharmacy in 1999, she worked at UFS Dispensaries until retirement in 2015, mentoring students and \u201csharing knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next year, she became a life member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.<\/p>\n
Mrs Eyres enjoyed her working life and said pharmacy\u2019s a \u201cwonderful\u201d career-path women should explore.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had an interest in the science, but I really liked working with people. In the pharmacy, you have great interactions with a lot of people across all walks of life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Born and bred in Ballarat, Mrs Eyres grew up in a \u201ccommunity minded\u201d home.<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning to contribute to community, during my school years I became a Queen\u2019s Guide. Guiding had a very big influence on my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Since her Guides days, Mrs Eyres has had a strong \u201cdesire to be of service to the community\u201d behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
The Zonta Club of Ballarat is celebrating this attitude, having named her one of Ballarat\u2019s Great Women for 2021.<\/p>\n
Mrs Eyres has been a member of the Club for 20 years. She\u2019s also part of the Rotary Inner Wheel Club of Wendouree, where she is a passionate raiser of funds for cord blood research.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed the hands-on work of Zonta\u2019s service committee; the breast cushion project, supplying toiletry bags to Berry Street, and making birthing kits,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoy collaborating with other women… to advance the status of women.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmbrace all opportunities to be of service to your community. It\u2019s important to draw on your strengths and share your knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IN the 1950s, Clarendon Presbyterian Ladies College student Helen Eyres could often be seen riding her bike from the Mair Street campus to Sturt Street\u2019s Ballarat College. Then Helen Gear, she regularly visited the boys\u2019 school to study chemistry and physics, with aspirations to become a pharmacist like her encouraging father, her uncle, and herbalist […]<\/p>\n