Jack Buckley
Rural Pharmacist reaches great heights.
Jack Buckley, dubbed "the flying pharmacist" has been in the air, after receiving an urgent call to action from the government to deliver critical Covid-19 vaccines to communities in regional and rural NSW.
Jack Buckley hails from the New South Wales South Coast town of Batemans Bay. After graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor of Pharmacy at Charles Sturt’s Orange campus, he was convinced to give rural pharmacy a crack for six months.
Six years down the track, Jack has settled into life in the regional town of Forbes NSW, where he is now the managing partner of three stores within the Life Pharmacy Group network.
Besides Pharmacy, Jack's passion is flying, “I have my pilot's licence and love to go flying. I've been
flying since I was 15 years-old, before I could legally drive.”
Jack was first able started flying medical supplies and staff to towns affected by the Lachlan River, NSW flood crisis in 2022.
This time Mr Buckley and his team have been hitting the road and the sky to vaccinate hundreds of aged care residents against Covid-19, at the request of the NSW Government.
Jack has been a pilot for 15 years and was able to combine his hobby of flying, and passion for community and preventative health, to help these aged care residents in need.
“I've been flying since I was 15 years-old, before I could legally drive. To be able to put my hobby of flying, and my passion for community and preventive health together is incredibly rewarding.”
The Forbes pharmacist and pilot chartered his own four-seater Piper Pathfinder to continue the rollout
to remote parts of the states’ west.
“We received quite an urgent call from the Department of Health to help vaccinate more than 600 aged care residents, in 12 locations, within two weeks,” Mr Buckley said.
“It was important that we moved as quickly and efficiently as possible, medical services are under such extreme pressure in these regional and rural hubs”.
The call to action came after the government recommended an additional Covid-19 booster for all adults aged 75 and over.
“The patients were very grateful, very receptive, and very welcoming,” Mr Buckley said.
While on the road for Bush Summit earlier in July, Mr Buckley spoke about the importance of pharmacists in remote areas where access to medical services are limited.
“Never underestimate what community pharmacy can offer to patients,” he urged, “pharmacists are willing to help ease the burden”.