14 December 2006
Stories of inspiring war surgeon Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, the development of the first successful anti-influenza drug Relenza and the amalgamation with Monash University form vital parts of the Victorian College of Pharmacy's 125 year history.
Former lecturers, deans, students and friends gathered on Tuesday to celebrate the release of a book charting the colourful history of the college, from its beginnings at a former courthouse in Swanston St to the expanding campus on Royal Parade in Parkville.
Written by historian Dr Janette Bomford, The Victorian College of Pharmacy: 125 Years of History records the contributions of prominent deans and staff including former Therapeutic Goods Administration national manager Dr Geoffrey Vaughan as well as humorous anecdotes from past students.
At the launch, Dr Vaughan said the history volume described the four key areas of the college: profession, products, places and people.
"The major product of the college has been our graduates, many of whom have been prominent figures in Victorian pharmacy," Dr Vaughan said.
Dr Bomford, who spent two years doing research and interviews for the book, said the college firmly established Victoria as the leader in the national pharmacy industry from its inception.
The college was established in 1881 as the school of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria. That society had itself been founded in 1857 by early immigrant British pharmacists to control and develop the professional aspects of pharmacy in the rapidly developing colony.
Weary Dunlop, the late World War II veteran whose medical efforts on behalf of prisoners of war made him a legend, was one of the college's best known former students. Dunlop moved to Melbourne to study at the Victorian College of Pharmacy in 1927 and then studied medicine at nearby Ormond College.
In 1960 the college moved to new premises in Parkville and began providing a full-time three-year course in pharmacy. Government approval was given to the merger with Monash University in 1992.
Since then, the campus has grown from about 450 students and 85 staff to a significant faculty within the university that now has in excess of 1,100 students and 140 staff, along with three undergraduate courses.
"The college is a special place and the profession can be proud of what it has achieved in pharmaceutical education and research over its 125 years", Dr Bomford said.
The Victorian College of Pharmacy: 125 Years of History is available from college administration or by filling out the form online from the Victorian College of Pharmacy website (pdf 34kb).
For more information please contact Steve Pogonowski, Media Communications on 03 9905 1253. Images available on request.
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