01/10/2025
We are all very proud to be a part of the incredible history of Timbs Pharmacy and Glen Innes.
Come and have a look at the historical display in the Grey St windows showcasing Glen Innes, and pharmacy through the ages!
Does anyone remember when the Timbs Pharmacy phone number was just two digits: 16?!
Our Local History: Early days of Timbs Pharmacy
[This article first appeared in the Glen Innes News 1 October 2025]
Timbs Pharmacy is celebrating 150 years of dedicated service to Glen Innes.
This, the first pharmacy to be established in Glen Innes has been in the hands of only five owners Arthur Dodd, Grover brothers, Pat Timbs, Bill Munro and Dimity Newsome.
AJ Dodd originally dispensed from a small building north of the present Court House and when, in 1900 the Hutchison Estate erected the present, now heritage listed pharmacy on the corner of Grey and Bourke streets, he moved and worked there for 24 years.
In contrast to today’s bright spacious premises a faded print of 1909 depicted a cramped and cluttered gaslit interior.
In the background to the right are many shelves of heavy glass bottles – the dispensary was then in full view of the customers, and the assistants were all formally dressed men, ‘as the solemnity of service within a pharmacy was considered to be the exclusive province of male assistants.’
Heavy wooden glass-fronted cabinets display wares of strictly chemist lines – including patent medicines, hairbrushes, bath back brushes, toothbrushes and soap.
Maw’s 1913 Medical Surgical and Druggist Sundries Catalogue lists wholesale prices of Bayers aspirin 1/3 a dozen boxes; Allen and Hanbury’s Tasteless [?!] castor oil 4/9 a dozen bottles; toothbrushes of rubber or goat or badger hair with over 100 bristle arrangements, from 6 pence each; razor strops from 5 pence…
Prescriptions were carefully written up by the doctors in large ledgers with the formula for each medicine, pill, etc., detailing the amount/weight of each ingredient, as a recipe to be followed for mixtures to be bottled, pills concocted and rolled etc., These books provide a record of the health of the town.
A man of many talents Dodd also dispensed his own formula medicines, for which he became famous; he kept different strength rimless glasses and those with small oval-shaped metal frames, accompanied by a couple of eye charts.
In his capacity as dentist, he would bid those suffering from toothache to step into the room at the rear of the shop where he would remedy the situation.
Dentists Arthur Yates, Reg Hudson and OGH Sinfield later had surgeries there.
There is a fascinating historical display in the pharmacy – do go and have a look.
Congratulations on this milestone and our sincere thanks to all the pharmacists and their staff for their much appreciated 150 years of compassionate dedicated professional service to our community!
Image: A J Dodd premises 1900
