From local kid to businessman and community healthcare leader: how a JCU pharmacy degree opened unexpected doors.
Mark Watson didn’t plan to be a pharmacist, and he certainly didn’t plan to own a few of them. But with over two decades in the profession, most of that time as a business owner, he’s the first to admit things have worked out pretty well.
A proud North Queenslander, Mark grew up in Brandon, attending school in Ayr and Home Hill before studying pharmacy at James Cook University’s Townsville campus. Today, he plays a vital healthcare role in the very community that raised him.
And he’s just bought 2020 JCU Pharmacy graduate and fellow Burdekin local Emma Nash on board, with the intention of offering an opportunity to buy into the business in the future.
After initially deferring his university offer and spending a year in the workforce post high school, Mark decided to take the plunge in 2001, a decision he’s never regretted.
“I’m a North Queenslander through and through. I like the lifestyle here and if I was going to go to university, it was always going to be JCU. The School of Pharmacy had only just been established at JCU in my final year of High School. My brother was studying another course at JCU at the time and encouraged me to apply,” Mark says.
“I was told there was a huge call for new graduate pharmacists throughout the region; many practicing pharmacists at the time were nearing retirement age. Also, we figured there would always be a job in the healthcare field, especially in rural areas.”
At JCU, Mark found a strong support network from academic staff and friendship and connections with fellow students.
“The relationship between other students where you could bounce ideas of each other in a supportive environment is another plus. These friendships grew every year of the course and I remain in contact with many of these people to today, only now we are bouncing business problems off each other,” Mark says.
Community pharmacy was the end goal for Mark as it offers both professional fulfilment and the chance to play a role in healthcare in his home community.
“It was always my intention to return to the Burdekin if I was able to. During my degree I did work experience in and around the region. In my final year I was offered a pre-registration position at one of those pharmacies, and to tell you the truth I never really considered anything else. Being part of the community is what it is all about for me. I am drawn to the lifestyle here, when I'm not in the pharmacy, I'm usually out fishing,” Mark says.
That connection to community remains central to Mark’s work and life. The Burdekin has proven to be not just a place to build a career, but a great place to raise a family, with Mark’s three children now enjoying the same active, outdoor lifestyle he grew up with.
Mentorship, Ownership and Building a Pharmacy Career
When an opportunity arose early in his career to buy into a local pharmacy, Mark took a leap of faith.
“Ownership was never really a specific goal, the opportunity came along and I was lucky in that my then boss Robert Tomarchio was willing to give me the opportunity of ownership, despite my lack of experience, and take me on as an equal partner,” Mark says.
“I will be forever grateful to Rob for giving me the opportunity, allowing me to run the business as my own, whilst always being there for direction and support. I can honestly say that Rob and I never shared a bad word between each other from the day we became partners until the day I bought him out in 2022. It was a relationship I truly appreciate and has given me and my family the life we have today.”
That early mentorship extended beyond one partnership. Mark also built a strong connection with long-time Home Hill pharmacist Rodney Prescott, whose guidance proved invaluable as Mark stepped into ownership of this pharmacy after Rodney retired.
“The advice and guidance Rod provided as a pharmacist, businessman and all-round mentor has been invaluable. Even now I visit Rod if I have any big decisions, pharmacy or otherwise, to make,” Mark says.
For many years Mark has operated as the solo pharmacist in his businesses, something that brings both responsibility and reward.
“The hours have at times felt long, but the benefit has always been what you put in you get out – both professionally and financially. It is also a privilege to assist people, sometimes at their most vulnerable times, and I think in a small town like ours a pharmacist fills an incredibly important and trusted position,” he says.
Passing It Forward: A New Generation of Pharmacists
With Emma coming on board, the two pharmacists will divide the pharmacy responsibilities, allowing them both more flexibility.
Emma, who grew up in nearby Giru, loves her home community, and with her husband and extended family all local, she’s already settled in the Burdekin.
After graduating in 2020, Emma gained experience working in Bowen before returning to Ayr, where she has been working in local community pharmacies. When the opportunity arose to join Mark, it felt like a natural next step for her career and future.
“You get to build really good relationships with your customers when you work in your local community, which I think is really rewarding. I don't think I would thrive as well in a big city pharmacy or in a big hospital where you don't see the same people and form those trusted relationships,” she says.
Reflecting on her time at JCU, Emma says the hands-on experience was a highlight.
“I went to a lot of places off the beaten track including Thursday Island and Barcaldine, they were really fun, it was a great opportunity to be part of healthcare in those communities,” she says.
Both Mark and Emma agree expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists - where pharmacists can prescribe medications for everyday illnesses and issue some other prescriptions - is the way of the future, with both already undertaking some of this training.
For Mark, supporting emerging pharmacists like Emma is a natural extension of his own journey, one shaped by local mentorship, opportunity, and a strong connection to community.
It’s also a powerful example of what a pharmacy degree from JCU can offer: not just a job, but a career that blends healthcare, business ownership, and meaningful community impact right here in regional Queensland.