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Gerald Roy Joseph Coady 1914-2006

First Pharmacy in Caringbah

As Coady's Pharmacy in Caringbah celebrates the 75th anniversary of caring for their many customers, it seems fitting to reflect on the life and times of its founder Gerry Coady. Gerry was a pharmacist, family man, community leader, breeder of prize-winning poultry and respected judge of the Royal Agricultural Society, a prankster and major contributor to the commercial development of the suburb. In 1946, Caringbah was about to experience a massive change as population increased and the commercial strip along the Kingsway began to develop. Coady's may have been the first pharmacy established in Caringbah but it was not the last and to be still there after all this time is reason to celebrate.

Gerald Roy Joseph Coady was born on 30 September 1914 in Canowindra, New South Wales, the ninth child and youngest son of William James Coady and his wife Mary Frances nee Ridley.

William James Coady was the son of Edward Coady(Cody) born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1809, convicted and transported to Australia in 1834, pardoned in 1848 and given a grant of land in Canowindra. Married to Ann Clements in 1849, they raised a family of eleven children. At first Edward grew wheat on an eight-acre plot but later had 11,000 sheep on his property 'Mogong' which was later added to and again enlarged when he purchased Tiliga Station in 1870. In 1873 he donated land to the Catholic Church for a church, named after St Edward the Confessor, and also land for a cemetery. Edward Coady died in Cowra in 1889. His wife, Ann, died in 1914 and was buried with Edward in the cemetery at St Edward's church.

William James Coady was born in Canowindra in 1866 and married Mary (Fanny) Frances Ridley at Canowindra in 1897. They settled on a property Woodlands at Canowindra where they raised a family of 10 children:
Lucilla Gertrude (Gert) 1898-1955;
Ida Mary 1899-1905;
Edward (Ted) Vincent 1901-1964;
Mary Philomena 1903-1986; illiam Harold 1907-1989;
Josephine Mary 1909-1976;
Patrick Arthur 1911-1983;
John Alacoque 1911-2006;
Gerald Roy Joseph 1914-2006
and Joan Frances 1918-1963.
Mary Philomena and Josephine Mary became Brigidine nuns.

The children enjoyed farm life but worked hard helping out on the property. They completed their primary schooling at Canowindra. The older boys were boarders at St Stanislaus College at Bathurst. They left after completing their Intermediate Certificates and returned to Canowindra. It was decided that Gerald, the youngest son, would be sent to board at St Joseph's College at Hunters Hill where he would complete his Leaving Certificate.

Gerry Coady enjoyed his time at St Joey's, took part in Rugby and rowing and did well at Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. He passed the Leaving Certificate and enrolled in Pharmacy at Sydney University becoming the first in his Coady family to attend university. At that time, the Pharmacy course was an apprenticeship system where students were indentured to a registered pharmacist and had to work when not attending lectures. During his apprenticeship, Gerry worked at various pharmacies including Hurstville and Kings Cross, experiencing a very different way of life than in Canowindra.

About this time, Gerry met Pat Holohan. Mary Patricia Holohan was the second girl in a family of seven children and lived with her widowed mother in Kogarah. During their courtship, as war broke out, Gerry was registered as a pharmacist and being in a protected industry, was exempt from active service.

Gerry applied successfully for a job as a registered pharmacist in the NSW country town of Wellington. Although they had planned to marry in 1942, Gerry and Pat brought their marriage forward and were married in St Patrick's Church, Kogarah, on 17 December 1941.

Harold Kierle was the owner of the pharmacy where Gerry was employed and they became close friends during six years of working together. Gerry relished a return to a country town, made many new friends and renewed friendships with Bede McCormack, a school mate from St Joey's, also C D Wineherg from Sydney Uni. He became an enthusiastic participant in many community activities including Apex, pigeon shooting and the breeding and showing of prize poultry which became a lifelong hobby and passion. He became president of the Wellington Horticultural Society.

In December 1942, a son, Peter Joseph, was born and named after Pat's brothers. In February 1946, the Coady's were farewelled at a large gathering of local and district residents as they left Wellington. Gerry had decided to start his own business and that Caringbah, in the Sutherland Shire would be a good place.

Although the rail link from Sutherland to Cronulla had been opened in 1939, it was only post war that massive development took place. Many ex-servicemen settled in Caringbah and school enrolments exploded. Building materials were scarce and many families lived in half-houses or temporary dwellings until their homes could be completed.

Before building their home in Caringbah, the Coadys lived with Pat's mother and brothers in Kogarah. Pat and Gerry welcomed a daughter, Paula during this time.

Coady's chemist opened in Caringbah in 1946 in a small shop that Gerry rented on the Kingsway, opposite Harry Hinte's general store. He purchased the vacant block next door with the intention of building larger premises in the future. Coady's was the first chemist in Caringbah and one of only a handful in the Sutherland Shire at that time. Gerry didn't have a car and bought a Lambretta motor scooter so that he could offer a delivery service. For £80 he purchased a large block of land at 229 Kingsway which extended to the railway line. This was where the family home would be built and in 1950 they moved into their new house. In the next few years, the family welcomed sons Matthew, Christopher and Bernard, also another daughter, Margaret, 14 years younger than Peter.

The house became like a small zoo with prize poultry, pheasants, ducks, budgies, finches, quail, guinea pigs, cats and dogs. The menagerie could be seen from the train as it passed between Woolooware and Caringbah stations.

Gerry helped Ivy Alcock raise her pet monkey called Mitzi. Photos appeared in newspapers showing Mitzi being weighed on the scales at Coady's pharmacy. These were used by local mothers to check on the weight of their babies when they were unable to attend the Baby Health Centre at Cronulla or Sutherland.

In 1950, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic school opened in Caringbah, staffed by the Sisters of Mercy who lived in the convent on the Esplanade at Cronulla, where Stella Maris is now situated. Peter Coady was the first pupil enrolled at that school.

In 1951 Father Charles Keller was appointed as the first parish priest. The school's interior was re-arranged on Saturdays and forms put in place in preparation for Sunday mass. One Sunday, time came for the second collection to support the parish and men moved to the front of the church with their collection plates. As they moved towards the back of the group a wave-like movement occurred as whispered conversations finally reached near the back where my family were seated. "Gerry Coady put a ten pound note on the plate!" As the monies were being counted, Gerry Coady stood up near the front of the church, marched to the rear and proceeded to collect £9/19/6 pence change. The congregation was gobsmacked and highly amused. Always a prankster, he was in fact a great friend and supporter of Father Keller and the nuns. He gave generously to the support and development of the parish but just couldn't resist the opportunity to stir things up. I think the amount in the second collection actually improved after this - there were fewer sixpences.

As Caringbah grew the business prospered. Gerry trained many apprentices including Judith Harrison who finished Pharmacy and then became a doctor. At about this time I was a student, working in the holidays and Saturdays at Coady's. One day during the Christmas holidays, Gerry's sisters, the Brigidine nuns arrived. They were given free rein to gather toiletries and other items to have for fetes or personal use by other members of the congregation. They were crouched down in the narrow space behind the counter where I was serving a man. Suddenly, as one, they bobbed up startling the customer who staggered back, uttered a very ripe expletive and bolted out of the shop. The poor nuns were quite bemused but continued to gather all their goodies. Dotty Lenehan, the other assistant, and I were helpless with laughter.

In 1950, Gerry decided it was time to build his own shop on the vacant block next to the pharmacy. It was built by Ernest Salisbury-Baker who also introduced Gerry to beekeeping, so hives were added to the family menagerie. The building was to be double story with the upper story to be rented. With a wide frontage there was room for Dick Holohan, Pat's crippled brother, to set up a gift shop and jewellers. I remember how excited we all were as we carried boxes from the old shop to the new one and stocked the shelves.

Over the years, a range of tenants occupied the first floor including the Cronulla-Sutherland Leagues Club, estate agents, solicitors and a depot of the Commonwealth Drug Company, the main supplier of items for the pharmacy.

The business continued to thrive, apprentices were employed, completed their courses and started their own businesses. With his interest in showing poultry, Gerry developed many ointments related to their care and treatment. For his apprentices making these ointments was something they would not learn at university.

Gerry's interest in breeding prize fowls led to many champions and first awards at shows, particularly the Royal Easter Show in Sydney He used to display his ribbons and trophies in the shop. He wrote booklets on the 'fancy' and different breeds of fowls and was invited to become a poultry judge by the Royal Agricultural Society. He also appeared several times on Burke's Backyard.

In 1963 Peter Coady passed and received his Degree of Bachelor of Pharmacy and joined his father in the family business. Gerry had experienced back problems for many years, had to wear a brace and at times was hospitalised. He was now able to take a few breaks leaving Peter in charge. In July 1975 Peter was able to purchase the business from Gerry who continued his involvement with the world of prize poultry, also acting as a relief pharmacist for Peter when needed.

When Gerry was in his eighties, he had open-heart surgery. The operation involved a triple bypass and valve replacement in the heart. Formerly extremely active he became depressed after the operation. At the same time Pat's health was declining and she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphona. Her treatment was radiation and chemotherapy which she found difficult to tolerate. Eventually they were both admitted to Stella Maris nursing home at Cronulla, run at that time by the Sisters of Mercy, many of whom they knew very well.

In 2003, after forty years as a pharmacist and after consultation with his parents, Peter Coady decided to sell the business his father had started in 1946. The new owner was Jennifer Nelson who had worked at Coady's and always expressed interest in buying if it became available. She kept the name and today it is still operating as Coady's Pharmacy.

Coady's Pharmacy

For a time Gerry and Pat settled down at Stella Maris but Pat's lymphoma became worse and on 12 April 2004 she died aged 85. Gerry became very reclusive and on 25 October 2006, after lapsing into a coma, he died aged 92. Gerry and Pat were survived by their children Peter, Paula, Matthew, Christopher, Bernard and Margaret.

After a long illness, Peter Joseph Coady died on 3 October, 2016. He was survived by his wife, Carol, nee Barnes, children Louise, Paul, Melissa and Ben and ten grandchildren

Colleen Passfield 2021

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