Alyssa Fritzlaff
LYN Madin has retired from her customer service role at Amcal’s Findlay and Weymouth Pharmacy after 50 years.
In her long career at the pharmacy, she said a lot has changed.
Born and bred in Traralgon, Ms Madin has lived in the Latrobe Valley her whole life.
When Ms Madin started working at the pharmacy in 1971 (then Grant’s Pharmacy) she was only 15 years old.
Back then she said female workers had to wear ‘micro’ mini dresses to work, and trousers were a big no, no.
Some years later, the store moved just up the street to 103 Seymour St, Traralgon, where the restaurant MOMO Traralgon is today.
Ms Madin said that during the move, she and other pharmacy staff had to load all the products into a trolley at the old store and trek up the street to unload them in the new one store until all the stock was transferred.
This is even true for the drugs stored in the dispensary – a true testament to how times have changed.
“When the store opened it was the largest pharmacy in Australia,” Ms Madin said.
“Then we moved to where we are now, at 79 Seymour St… we became even more upmarket and a special destination for a lot of women to buy Estee Lauder and Chanel, that had previously been sold by Myer only.”
Ms Madin has made many lifelong friends and special connections with co-workers over the years. She said she has been involved in many birthdays, engagements and weddings.
Ms Madin is also well known by customers, and is on a first-name basis with many of them.
She said she will mainly miss the people she has met during the past 50 years.
“I’m sure I will run into lots of these lovely people and hopefully they will day ‘hi’,” she said.
“My next stage is lots of family time, caravan trips and motorbike rides with all my wonderful friends.”
