J. R. Pope officially began operating his pharmacy at 102 High Street, Wodonga on 1 October 1967. The pharmacy was purchased from John T. McSwiney who had operated his business from the same site from 1901. Mr. McSwiney was born in Chiltern in 1875 and qualified as a pharmacist in 1896 when he was apprenticed to David James McEwen, father of future Prime Minister Sir John McEwen. By October 1901 Mr. McSwiney was running his own business in High Street where he practised until he sold the business to J. R. Pope exactly 66 years later. Although he went into semi-retirement John McSwiney was still working at the age of 92 and was considered to be Victoria’s – if not Australia’s oldest practising chemist. These jars were part of the transfer of the pharmacy and its equipment in 1967 but date back to the earlier years of John McSwiney’s pharmacy in the early 1900s. These jars come from a Wodonga business which operated for over 70 years.A set of 9 blue and white lidded apothecary jars with gilt lettering depicting latin names of the contents. Also a mortar and and two pestles. The mortar has a groove on the side for the smaller pestle to rest. There is also a blue glass jar.apothecary jars, pharmacies wodonga, pope pharmacy, mcswiney chemist