CHEMIST ROUND
In 1952 I had a chemist round almost directly opposite our shop, in Auburn,
managed by Mr. Max Landmann, on the corner of Burwood and Auburn Rds.
Sadly, Max passed
away in May 1952, aged 68.
After Max passed
away, the chemist shop was then taken over and managed by Mr. Wellington Lee, with the part time assistance of Mr. Harry A.
Phillips and another younger chemist, whose name I can't recall. Harry was a retired chemist and lived in Fairmount Rd, Hawthorn.
He was on the Committee of the Hawthorn Football Club and regularly gave me passes to see the games at Glenferrie Oval! After
I left, Harry sent me Xmas cards each year, which I still have.
Wellington is
now an elderly Chinese citizen and still very active within the Chinese Community in Melbourne, and the recipient of an Award
in the Order of Australia.
The ancient typewriter
at the chemist shop was used for typing up labels for medicines, I used that machnine in my "spare time", and eventually
it was given to me as a present from Wellington. I used that machine until around 1956. I still have some documents I typed
up on that clunky machine, relating to radio monitoring and shortwave radio station lists!
When I delivered precsrptions to customers,
I had to collect the money from them. I recall receiving payment from an elderly lady in the the
form of a ten pound note which had been printed around 1910! The chemist kept this note as a souvenir - today it would be
worth many thousands of dollars.
My wages were
15 shillings a week - I was then at Auburn Central State school in 2nd form, where I gained the Dux of School Award
in December.
I would go on to do Forms 3 to 5 at Camberwell
High School from 1953-1955.
Later in 1952
I left this chemist and started with Buscombe's chemist, next to the Auburn station - the pay there was better, at 21 shillings
weekly! I was still working there in 1953, when I was in Form 3 at Camberwell High School.
