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Jon Ravech Pharmacy has been a local Merlynston, North Coburg landmark for nearly 50 years and with recent building, renovations and planning is set to continue for another 50.
The smiling features of Jon Ravech and his staff have become the faces that thousands of locals trust and turn to for advice on all their health issues.
Not content to sit back and rest on his laurels Jon recently redeveloped his Pharmacy at a huge personal cost to benefit the entire demographic of the area for every resident, from babies through to pensioners.
Jon’s new pharmacy at 11-17 Orvieto Street features an impressive state-of-the-art pharmacy with a large stock range; a compounding chemist laboratory and leading prescription dispensing machinery on par with the best in Australia and the world.
To this impressive array, Jon has further added a Specialist Medical Centre on the first floor. The practice features nine general medical professionals at the seven-day-a-week clinic.
Next door in Lorenson Avenue a remodelled building houses a Well Being Centre staffed by three psychologists’, podiatrist, chiropractor and a Chinese Medical Doctor. On-site Healthscope pathology completes the services offered.
It’s all a far cry from November 1,1964 when Jon and his wife Judy started-up a small pharmacy as a 24 Hour Chemist in the original double story building that was on the site.
During those first years, Jon and Judy (with two young children in tow) provided the first pharmacy and complete medical care enterprise in the area that has made the Jon Ravech Chemist a household name to thousands.
In the manner of olden times. The 24 Hour Pharmacy bell rang at all hours of the night to dispense needed medications to desperately ill people, parents with babies and small children and the elderly.
“I dispensed everything from prescriptions to pain tablets, cough and cold remedies, family planning needs to dummies. Anything that people needed from a pharmacy we sold.”
Jon ran the 24 hour pharmacy for five years before consolidating the hours to a more workable 8am to 9pm each week day and 9am to 9pm Saturday, Sunday and all Public Holidays,365 days of the year. A Merlynston tradition that has been going 47 PLUS years with NEVER A DAY MISSED in all that time!
Well ahead of his time Jon opened a medical centre next door to the chemist shop to further service the needs of the area. Back in the late 60’s this proved a god-send as local identity Dr Rose shifted himself from streets away along with Dr Kahn right next door. Now the practice is housed in the first floor medical centre.
