Member story: Tim Logan

After graduating with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Queensland in 1981, Tim completed his internship at Sundale Pharmacy under the supervision of Gary Hand and became a registered pharmacist with the Pharmacy Board of Queensland immediately upon completion. He managed pharmacies in Brisbane and Toowoomba before becoming a partner in Atherton Amcal Chemist in 1984. Tim later owned pharmacies in Townsville and Nambour, practising until March 2026. He joined the Queensland Branch Committee of the Pharmacy Guild in 1996, progressing through executive roles to serve as Branch President and National Councillor from 2002 to 2017, before retiring from the Committee in 2019.

When I started in 1982, repeat authorisations were hand-written, every claimable prescription has to be hand-coded to receive payment, prescription labels were manually typewritten, PBS benefits were $3.20 (free for pensioners) and, in Queensland, antihistamines and Ventolin were Prescription-Only. The evolution of new medicines, and the progression of Prescription-Only medicines to Pharmacist Only and Pharmacy Medicines expanded our pharmacological armamentarium significantly, followed by the introduction of Pharmacist Vaccination, and now we see the Full Scope of Practice being rolled out and welcomed by enlightened legislators and regulators.

In practice, I particularly remember advising a pale, sweaty, breathless man (who was requesting Mylanta antacid mixture!) to go from my pharmacy and attend the local hospital’s ED immediately, and was gratified several days later to learn that the Myocardial Infarction he was experiencing had been diagnosed at the hospital with sufficient time for him to survive the ordeal. On another occasion, the CPR training I underwent as part of the QCPP recommendation at the time proved its worth when I had to provide CPR to a man who collapsed in the supermarket in the shopping centre in which I practiced – happily, this was one of the occasions that CPR enabled him to survive, and earn me a bottle of wine from a grateful and ambulant patient some weeks later. Being part of the team from the Guild and the PSA that brought vaccination services by pharmacists to our state, and then later the nation, via the initial QPIP trial, is probably the achievement I was most proud of.

As a member, the information I needed to make sure my Pharmacy business was relevant and viable was the best benefit of my membership subscription – the networking and fellowship with Guild members was also welcome and useful. As a Guild Official, the camaraderie and satisfaction of working with my peers and National Presidents such as John Bronger, Kos Sclavos and George Tambassis made the hours spent away from home, in interminable meetings with government departments and stakeholders and aeroplanes and taxis, all worthwhile. We didn’t get everything we wanted, and lost some skin in some skirmishes, but we did a lot for Pharmacy Owners, their staff and the Australian public (in my humble opinion).

Make sure you are at the leading edge of the development of your profession, and ensure you develop as a business-person as well as a clinician. Membership and engagement with the Pharmacy Guild ensures someone is fighting for your viability and relevance, and is feeding you the information you need to manage the carriage and development of your Pharmacy Business.