Our History

To understand how the Bowmanville Clinic Pharmacy became such an ingrained part of the community it serves, you have to look back at over five decades of expertise, growth, and exceptional patient care. It all began with a bicycle delivery boy who had an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to help others.

Neale McLean, father to current co-owner Marlene, started his pharmacy profession in 1957 as a delivery boy for an independent pharmacy, distributing prescriptions by bicycle to the people of Lindsay. After graduating from the University of Toronto’s pharmacy program in 1965, Neale got married, moved to Bowmanville to raise his family and established the Bowmanville Clinic Pharmacy in March 1969 in the brand-new medical building at 222 King St. E.—where it remains to this day.

During Neale’s first years in the pharmacy business, he oversaw huge shifts in the medical profession and in pharmaceutical knowledge. What we view as common medical practice (such as keeping patient medication histories, using childproof safety containers, and providing consultations with pharmacists) was just beginning to come into popularity.

In 2012, Marlene and co-owner Patty Rice took ownership of Bowmanville Clinic Pharmacy. Both Marlene and Patty have grown up with a deep respect and understanding of the pharmacy profession. Patty’s grandfather, Alex McGregor, who graduated from the University of Toronto’s pharmacy program in 1927 owned and operated McGregor IDA Drugs, Bowmanville’s oldest pharmacy. Marlene and Patty both graduated from the University of Toronto’s pharmacy program, and it seemed only natural to continue their family pharmaceutical legacies. Patty, Marlene, and the staff at Bowmanville Clinic Pharmacy are proud and honoured to be practising the profession they love in their own hometown.