A Kiama resident has been recognised for extensive contributions to the pharmacy industry, as well as community service.
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Kiama pharmacist Gerry McInerney, 77, has been awarded an OAM for service to the pharmacy profession, and to the community.
“I was a bit surprised - I thought I'd reached my pinnacle when I got the Kiama Australia Day Citizen of the Year,” he said.
In 2015, Mr McInerney was named Kiama Citizen of the Year.
Mr McInerney also received the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s 2016 NSW Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognised his service to pharmacy at international, national, state and local level.
A pharmacist in Kiama for 50 years, Mr McInerney said he had “been very fortunate” regarding his profession.
“It’s been a wonderful profession for our family, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I guess it’s like any other health profession. You do your bit, but you become very involved with your clients, particularly in a smaller community where you know most of the people in town.”
He retired from community pharmacy in 2013.
However, he remains a registered pharmacist and still practices in the area of regulatory affairs.
A former president of the Pharmacy Board of NSW and the Illawarra Pharmacists’ Association, he has also served on the Australian Pharmacy Council and the Pharmacy Board of Australia.
Mr McInerney is a former president of Kiama Lions Club, and received Lions’ prestigious Melvin Jones Fellowship in recognition of humanitarian work.