J. E. Simpson Manilla Chemist

John Edmund Simpson was born in was born in 1867 and married Mary Ann (Polly) Reeves in Moree NSW on the 12th June 1901. Their son Noel John Simpson was born on the 25th December 1913.

John Edmund was a Chemist and operated his business at 204 Manilla St from 1900, until his death in 1936 at age 69. His wife Mary Ann (Polly) died in 1961.

In 1933 it is noted his son Noel John Simpson was registered as a Chemist in 1933 and carried on this business until his death in 1996.

Noel John married Dorrit Gwendoline Benson Rodges in 1941.

Manilla’s local chemist, Mr J. E. Simpson operated the Manilla Pharmacy and was known chiefly as a dispensing chemist and dentist, where stocks of patent medicines, drugs, soaps, perfumery, sponges etc could be found within his small shop. In 1901, Mr Simpson was described as an indispensable member of the community when he installed his business in commodious and an up-to-date two-story premises next to the Express Office in Manilla Street.

John and Mary Ann's son Noel was registered at a Chemist in 1933 at age 20.

In the 1920s in Australia, becoming a qualified "chemist" (which primarily meant a pharmacist) required a 3 to 4-year apprenticeship.

During this time, apprentices worked full-time under a "master chemist" while attending part-time classes to pass state pharmacy board examinations.

The path to qualification in the 1920s involved:

The apprenticeship (3–4 years): Aspiring chemists started as young apprentices, often at 15 to 16 years old. They performed manual, labor-intensive work, such as grinding raw materials and compounding drugs, while learning practical pharmacy under a registered master.

College Coursework: Alongside the apprenticeship, students attended specialized tuition at institutions like the Victorian College of Pharmacy or the Sydney Technical College School of Pharmacy. The curriculum included subjects such as chemistry, botany, and materia medica.

Registration Exam: After completing the required years of on-the-job training and coursework, candidates had to pass a final registration exam administered by their state’s Pharmacy Board (e.g., the Pharmacy Board of Victoria) to officially practice as a Pharmaceutical Chemist.

Chemistry, Botany, and Materia medica was historically the foundational core of 19th and early 20th-century medical and pharmaceutical education.

Jim Maxwell of the Manilla Historical Society provided his recollection of local Chemist Noel Simpson:

A couple Weeks ago Michael Simpson called at the Manilla Museum to donate some of his father’s recipe books for Medicines. Noel Simpson conducted a Chemist Shop next to the Court House Hotel continuing the work his father did who was also a Chemist.

I remember when I was growing up, Mrs Bushby who worked for Noel for many years. As I remember as you walked into the Pharmacy at the door there was a set of scales for weighing babies, which we have on display at the Museum and the large dark bottles on a shelf behind the counter. Noel like the Chemists of his day mixed most of the Medicines on site themselves from what Michael told me his Father struggled when all the Medicines were pre-made by Pharmaceutical Companies as he was of the old school.

Noel and his Wife Gwen had four children, Michael, Peter, Tony and Anne who all attended St. Joseph’s School (St. Michaels) Catholic School in my time there they lived in River Street on the western corner of Market Street. The Simpsons were very active in the Catholic Church Community.

Noel’s Receipt books, along with Chemists of that era mixed medicines on the premises. Noel was not only a brilliant Chemist, he also made Livestock remedies such as an Ointment for Scabby Mouth in Sheep which was rampart in the 1950’s. This Ointment consisted of Vaseline and Sulphur mixed together, also a brilliant Cure for Itch and Mange on Dogs which was Sulphur of Potash which came in Yellow Block form and smelt like rotten eggs when mixed with Water; but the water felt like velvet when it was mixed in the water, which when the dogs was washed in it the hair grew back in days. He also had a Magic Salve which would cure anything from pimples to infections.

Michael decided to donate these books to the Museum as he and his wife Vicki are in the process of selling their Property at Tarpoly and move to Tamworth. Vicki for many Years ran the Baby Health Centre in Manilla and Michael was the Deputy Principal of Barraba High School till he retired. 

The following are Link will take you to the respective page with much information and pictures. The Link is to the page itself whereas you will either Join or Log In. For information on how this works you can go to the Link below these Links which will take you to the Home Introductory Page.

The below Link will take you to the Home Introductory Page