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Birks Chemists is a pharmacy in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, Australia whose origins date back to the 1850s.


History

George Napier Birks (24 October 1838 – 14 September 1895) and William Hanson Birks (28 December 1841 – 5 August 1925) were sons of Dr.
George Vause Birks Dr. George Vause Birks ( 1815 – 31 January 1858) was a medical doctor who with his family emigrated to South Australia in 1853, and died there less than four years later. Their family was significant in the commercial life of the young city of A ...
(c. 1815 – 31 January 1858), who with his wife and family emigrated from England to
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
on the ''Leonidas'', arriving at Glenelg in December 1853, and settled in Angaston. Dr. Birks begun practising in the town, with his wife and older sons filling prescriptions. Dr. Birks died at 42 years of age, as a result of being thrown from his horse. Mrs Birks then ran a store in Angaston. In 1856 G. N. Birks started working for FH Faulding & Co at their chemist's shop at 5
Rundle Street Rundle Street, often referred to as "Rundle Street East" as distinct from Rundle Mall, is a street in the East End of the city centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs from Pulteney Street to East Terrace, where it becomes Ru ...
,
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
as a trainee. Around 1860 he moved to Kooringa, where he dispensed for the two doctors who were practising there, then around two years later moved to Wallaroo mines, where he opened his first shop in 1861, and for many years served as Justice of the Peace. In 1862 he opened a pharmacy in Kadina, installing his brother William as manager. These two businesses later diversified into stationery and books. He opened a third shop at Moonta with his brother John Napier Birks (30 August 1845 – 10 May 1929) as manager. John would in 1879 have his own pharmacy in
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...
, at the corner of St. Vincent Street and Commercial Road, later at 130
William Street, Perth William Street is a suburban distributor and one of two major cross-streets in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. Commencing in western Mount Lawley, its route takes it through the Northbridge café and nightclub distri ...
. :Meanwhile in 1864 brother Charles Napier Birks (13 February 1844 – 29 April 1924), in partnership with David Robin (c. 1835 – 24 February 1914) had taken over the softgoods business of G. Shaw at 89
Hindley Street Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street, Adelaide, King William Street and West Terrace, Adelaide, West Terrace. Th ...
. They would then, in 1871 take over J. Ballantyne & Co.'s store at 38 Rundle Street, so beginning the history of Charles Birks & Co, one of Adelaide's great department stores. The business prospered and in October 1874 the brothers were able to open a stationery and book store "G.N. & W.H. Birks" at 60 Rundle Street, Adelaide, with William in charge. In August 1888 they moved the stationery shop to premises at 68 Rundle Street. G.N. & W.H. Birks opened a Homoeopathic Chemists shop at 51 Rundle Street in January 1879, and moved to 59 Rundle Street (on the
Gawler Place Gawler Place is a single-lane thoroughfare in the city centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Somewhat narrower than other busy streets in the Central Business District, it runs north to south from North Terrace to Wakefield Stree ...
corner) in July the same year. This building was earlier (1871–1874) the home of retail saddlery and leathergoods business Holden & Birks, a partnership of brother Alfred James Birks (7 June 1840 – 7 December 1873) and
James Alexander Holden James Alexander Holden (1 April 1835 – 1 June 1887) was the businessman who founded the South Australian company which eventually produced the Holden automobile. History James Alexander Holden was born in Walsall (at that time in Staffordshir ...
, founder of the business that became
Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
. While the two businesses were registered as G.N. & W.H. Birks, George owned the stationer's at No. 60 and William the chemist's at No. 59 (around 1921-1922 renumbered as No. 57, and in 1973 Rundle Street became
Rundle Mall Rundle Mall is a pedestrian street mall located in Adelaide, South Australia. It was opened as a pedestrian mall in September 1976 after the closing of the western section of Rundle Street between King William Street and Pulteney Street, to ...
). In November 1888 they took over F. J. Eyre's newly opened chemist's shop at 6 Rundle Street, which they renamed "Birks Bros.", but relinquished it less than two years later. Frederick James Eyre (c. 1862–1926) established another shop at
O'Connell Street, North Adelaide O'Connell Street is the main north–south route through North Adelaide, South Australia and is heavily-trafficked by north-suburban commuters to Adelaide city centre. At its northern end it intersects with Barton Terrace West and the commenceme ...
. :George Napier Birks married Helen Rosetta Thomas (30 August 1845 – 3 May 1932) on 28 January 1863. She was the second daughter of
William Kyffin Thomas William Kyffin Thomas (4 November 1821 – 4 July 1878) was a newspaper proprietor in South Australia. William, the son of Robert Thomas, was born in Fleet Street, London and emigrated to South Australia with his father in 1836 on the . From th ...
. He and his wife joined the second contingent which left Adelaide on the '' Royal Tar'' in January 1894 for
William Lane William Lane (6 September 1861 – 26 August 1917) was an English-born journalist, author, advocate of Australian labour politics and a utopian socialist ideologue. Lane was born in Bristol, England into an impoverished family. After showi ...
's "
New Australia New Australia was a utopian socialist settlement in Paraguay created by the New Australian Movement. The colony was officially founded on 28 September 1893 as Colonia Nueva Australia and comprised 238 people. History The New Australi ...
" settlement in
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
, along with other members of the Birks family: Alf (1874–1916), Constance (1877–1901), Elma (1893– ), Eric (1890–1948), Frank (1873–1953), Fred (1866–1948) and Grace ( –1937), John Napier (1845–1929), (William) Kyffin (1875–1938), Walter (1847–1900) and Win (1882–1905). George died there; his wife returned to Adelaide. :William Hanson Birks married Adeline Jefferson "Ada" Raymond (c. 1840 – August 1918) of
Don River (Tasmania) The Don River is a perennial river for most of its length, located in the north-western region of Tasmania, Australia. Location and features The river rises in West Kentish near Sheffield and flows generally north into Bass Strait Bass St ...
on 28 August 1863. They had a summer residence in Beaumont; he died in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. In 1906 William sold the business to Percival R. "Percy" Magarey, son of Dr. Sylvanus Magarey, and took on his younger brother William T. Magarey as an apprentice. The Magareys brought an American drug-store style to the old shop — a marble counter with a soda fountain, syrups and ice-cream, high stools and mirrors. It became a popular meeting spot for the smart younger set. In 1922 A. K. Newberry joined and restructured the business as a limited liability company, which immediately purchased the property from J. Bakewell for £20,000. Donald Magarey, another brother, joined the company, as did Edgar Vincent "EV" Lawton, who was in 1933 to marry Kathleen Elise, a daughter of W. T. Magarey. Newberry retired in 1953, and was replaced as chairman of directors by Lawton. Birks Chemists manufactured numerous pharmaceutical lines: "Marva" brand of rheumatism wafers, influenza wafers, chilblain liniment, cough mixture, and rheumatic mixture; "Sanovia" toothpaste, toilet cream, dentifrice liquid, dentifrice powder, healing ointment, tooth soap, hair tonic, bouquet perfume, bouquet sachets, toilet powder, medical soap, dental suction powder, depilatory powder, sunburn cream and snail killer; "Capilloid" hair dye and hair restorer, and "Acme" corn cure. In 1920 Birks Chemists became the subject of a legal controversy when they were convicted of illegally selling an alcoholic beverage, Sedna, a "tonic" made from port wine fortified with extracts of
coca leaf Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. Coca leaves contain cocaine which acts as a mild stimulant when chewed or ...
,
kola nut The kola nut ( Yoruba: ''obi'', Dagbani: ''guli'', Hausa: goro, Igbo: ''ọjị'', Sängö: ''gôro,'' Swahili: ''mukezu'') is the seed of certain species of plant of the genus ''Cola'', placed formerly in the cocoa family Sterculiaceae and ...
and
beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...
. In 1933 Birks Chemists bought the premises at 278a Rundle Street near the East End Market and established a pharmacy there, managed by Edgar Lawton, and in 1947 another shop was opened at 147 St Vincent Street, Port Adelaide, managed by Kenneth Wall.


Family

For more information on the extensive Birks family of South Australia see
George Vause Birks Dr. George Vause Birks ( 1815 – 31 January 1858) was a medical doctor who with his family emigrated to South Australia in 1853, and died there less than four years later. Their family was significant in the commercial life of the young city of A ...
.


Bibliography

Gavin Souter (1968) ''A peculiar people: The Australians in Paraguay''
Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...
, Sydney.


References

{{Reflist


External links


History of Birks Chemists
Companies based in Adelaide