Scotch College

Henry Francis Chemists and the Cossar Family

One of the families in 'Pharmacy Families: Henry Francis in Australia 1849-1999', a book recently launched at the Victorian Pharmacy College, is the Cossar family, the principal owners of the Henry Francis pharmacies for the past eighty years.

The book tells the story of a pharmacy established 150 years ago in Melbourne, before the gold rush. It is a story about the people who owned it, who were partners in it, and who worked in it, more like members of a family than employees. The business is the oldest continuing pharmacy in Victoria.

The first four owners trained in prestigious London pharmacies, and took a leading role in the wider field of pharmacy in Australia, as did the Cossars who followed.

David Cossar, for whom Cossar Hall at the Pharmacy College is named, with two partners bought the business from the Francis family in 1919. It passed to his son Norman Cossar (at Scotch '18 - '25) then to his son Brian ('46 - '55). Other Cossars to attend Scotch were Norman's brothers Neil ('25 - '31), who worked in the pharmacy, but died in WWII and David ('33 - '40) who became an ENT surgeon. Brian's brother Donald ('53 - '65) worked in the business for a few years.

Brian's sons Drew ('70 - '75) and Adam ('72 - '83) spent time helping in the pharmacy, Donald's elder son James (1991-98) works there part time, and Andrew ('92 - ) is still at school.

For 150 years this pharmacy has had a presence in Bourke or Little Bourke Streets. From 1886 to 1980 it ran a second pharmacy in Collins Street. In 1926 - 1927 the partners had a handsome building, Francis House, erected between Russell and Exhibition Streets.

In 1929 it was awarded a Medal for Street Architecture. Between 1933 and 1986 a series of branch pharmacies, eventually totalling eighteen, were established in Myer stores in all states except Western Australia. Henry Francis chemists at one time ran twenty-five pharmacies in Australia. Memories of past employees and partners bring this history alive.

This handsome 208 page hard cover book with illustrations and index, brings together many smaller stories previously told, or revealed in family and business documents. David Sharpe ('42 - '49), co-author with his wife Kath (PLC '46 - '47), have set this history against the enormous changes experienced in Melbourne and Australia, indeed in pharmacy, over this time. It is available for collection from Brian Cossar, the publisher at Henry Francis Chemists, 286 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne for $30. Alternatively it may be ordered from Henry Francis Chemists, P O Box 502H, GPO Melbourne 3001, for posting within Australia at $35.