The space has been emptied and dividers were built to separate it from the general store. Yet the women who own and operate the general store would not be drawn on the matter, not by anyone. At last a sign went up and locals now know that Berridale now boasts its own pharmacy.

Pharmacist manager Vanessa Lange is in the process of moving to the area from Sydney with her husband, Tim.

“We are both very excited about bringing pharmacy services to Berridale. We intend to make the lives of the local people much easier and hope to become a valuable part of the community,” Mrs Lange said.

Mrs Lange has been a registered pharmacist for six years. She’s mainly worked in Sydney but is no stranger to rural communities.

“I have worked in a few small communities, namely Harden, Crookwell and Crescent Head. I enjoyed my time immensely at all of these places, finding the people to be kind, friendly and with their feet placed firmly on the ground,” she said.

Before becoming a pharmacist, Mrs Lange worked in customer service. She brings her service ethic to her new endeavour.

“Locals can leave their prescriptions at the shop and give me a call when they need something made up. Anything we don’t have on hand that someone needs I will happily order in and it should arrive the next day. If there is anything that anyone needs I will do my best to make it happen,” Mrs Lange said.

The Langes enjoy skiing, mountain biking and bushwalking, and have passed through Berridale many times over the years. They look forward to joining the community and exploring the region.

Between its hopping medical centre and the Snowy River Hostel, Berridale is a strong candidate to support a pharmacy. Opening hours will be from 9am until 5.30pm Monday to Friday, as well as Saturday mornings.