Jane and Kevin Burgess are navigating early retirement after 42 years in the pharmacy business.
Two months into retirement, the seemingly indefatigable Kevin and Jane Burgess are as ‘present’ in Cambridge as ever.
They retired at the end of March after selling Cambridge Pharmacies 2020, comprising Unichem Cambridge, Unichem Medical Centre and Unichem Family Health pharmacies. For 42 years, they and their team turned customers into friends as they played an integral role in Cambridge’s health.
That was just one side to the Burgesses. They’re both of a sporty persuasion, and while Jane ran a health-food outlet and taught when not working in pharmacies, Kevin’s extracurricular activities placed him at the centre of many sporting and community organisations, supporting a range of athletes.
He has helped judge the Waipā and Waikato Secondary Sports Awards for years, is a Grassroots Trust and Adastra Foundation trustee, and is co-founder of the Perago Trust with Jake Moreland – organisations set up to help promising young athletes. He is also a partner in Inside Running, a sports management company.
Retirement came earlier than planned.
“We put the wheels in motion last August,” Kevin explained. “We both felt worn out by the Covid pandemic and everything that came with it.”
“Without Covid, we might have had a few more years in us … but the pandemic made us realise there is more to life,” Jane said.
A pharmacist uncle lit the spark for Kevin as he left St John’s College in Hamilton. He was drawn to a mix of retail and dispensary and, once qualified, bought what was Mullins Pharmacy in Cambridge.
Jane, who had been teaching at St Peter’s School, decided to join Kevin in the business. She also opened a small health shop, Fibre Foods in Empire Street, but sold it when they teamed up with Kim and Virginia Munro to launch Munro Burgess Pharmacy in 1996, trading under the Amcal brand.
When Jane found herself under-utilised, she spent seven years as retail manager for a Life Pharmacy in Hamilton’s Centre Place, honing her human resources skills.
“That role gave me a lot of experience in managing staff. I came back here part-time when Kim retired in 2019 and took over the HR and retail side.”
There have been other pharmacy acquisitions over the years. They bought and closed the old Boyce pharmacy in Cambridge, opened at Cambridge Medical Centre nine years ago, and more recently started the Family Health Pharmacy.
Kevin and his pharmacy partners also started one of the first Māori health pharmacies in Hamilton’s Hillcrest area, something he’s particularly proud of. “We wanted to do something for that community.”
The ‘retirees’ moniker applies only to their business life. Kevin, who is a life member of Hautapu Rugby Club, is dipping in and out of the pharmacies as a handy locum, supporting new owners Jordan Hinton and Shaz Rauf. He will remain at the heart of his community work, toiling away for the Cambridge Resthaven Trust Board and other community organisations. He is also part of a group of pharmacists who provide support to a Fijian school.
Jane, who has had a lengthy association with Hospice Waikato, will keep working within the community and they both hope to garden more, holiday more and keep up their active lifestyle.
“This community has given so much to us… we’re very grateful,” said Kevin.
