Carmen Drive Community Pharmacy

03/09/2026

💙 Let’s get behind Rodney Hale and The Long Run!

Many in our pharmacy community will know Rodney Hale, who joined us at our Biggest Morning Tea this year to speak about the importance of prostate cancer awareness and encouraging men to get checked.

Now Rodney is taking his advocacy even further! 🏃‍♂️💙

This September, Rodney is taking on Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia The Long Run, walking 72km to raise funds for prostate cancer research and support.

Why does it matter?

💙 Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men.
💙 1 in 6 Australian men will be diagnosed in their lifetime.
💙 Around 3,000 Australian men die from prostate cancer each year.

These aren’t just statistics. They’re our dads, partners, brothers, sons, friends and members of our community.

We’re so proud to see Rodney continuing to raise awareness and turn his passion into action.

👏 Go Rod! We’re cheering you on all 72km!

Did you know Rodney is the PFCA ambassador? Amazing, hey!

💙 Support Rodney’s Long Run here:
https://www.thelongrun.org.au/fundraisers/rodhale/the-long-run-2026

31/08/2026

🎂 Happy Birthday, Lois! 🎉💐

Today we’re celebrating our wonderful Lois! 💕

Thank you for all the care, warmth and laughs you bring to our pharmacy family and for always being such a valued part of our team.

We hope your birthday is filled with plenty of cake, smiles and all the things you love. 🥳🎂

Please join us in wishing Lois a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎈🎉

Flowers from Beautiful Blossoms North Rocks
Cake by Jenny’s Bakery

28/08/2026

A quick reminder:
COVID-19 vaccine funding is changing from 1 October 2026.

If you’re aged 18–64, now is a good time to check whether you’re due for a COVID-19 vaccination and get it while it’s still FREE.

Staying up to date may be particularly important if you’re pregnant, have certain chronic health conditions, or live with, work with or care for someone who is older, immunocompromised or medically vulnerable.

To book, go to (link in bio)
https://carmendrivepharmacy.com.au/services/

27/08/2026

A quick reminder:
COVID-19 vaccine funding is changing from 1 October 2026.

If you’re aged 18–64, now is a good time to check whether you’re due for a COVID-19 vaccination and get it while it’s still FREE.

Staying up to date may be particularly important if you’re pregnant, have certain chronic health conditions, or live with, work with or care for someone who is older, immunocompromised or medically vulnerable.

To book, go to:
https://carmendrivepharmacy.com.au/services/

24/08/2026

Support Sun Valley Preschool this weekend!

This Sunday August 30th, the team at Sun Valley Preschool hosting the Family Day! The name is truly that - a fun day for your family while supporting your local community.

20/08/2026

📣 COVID-19 VACCINE FUNDING IS CHANGING

Get vaccinated while it’s still FREE!

From 1 October 2026, access to free COVID-19 vaccination is changing.

⏰ If you’re aged 18–64, NOW is a good time to check whether you’re due for a COVID-19 vaccination.

You may particularly benefit from staying up to date if you:

👉Live with, work with or care for someone who is older, immunocompromised or medically vulnerable
👉Are pregnant
👉Have a medical condition that increases your risk of severe COVID-19, such as cardiac disease, severe respiratory disease, diabetes or obesity.

🗓️ From 1 October, under the proposed new funding arrangements, free vaccination is expected to focus on:

✅ Adults 65 years and over
✅ Adults 18–64 years with immunocompromised conditions
✅ Adults 50 years and over with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background

Don’t wait until the funding changes, get it while it’s free!

To make a booking, go to: https://carmendrivepharmacy.com.au

Speak to our pharmacist about whether you’re due and get vaccinated while it’s still free.

COVID-19 vaccination recommendations vary according to age, health and previous vaccination. Eligibility criteria apply.

17/08/2026

💛 What if your lived experience of ADHD could help shape the future of ADHD care?

Susan was grateful to be invited to join the AADPA Lived Experience Working Group, collaborating with people who brought different experiences and perspectives, but shared the same passion making things better for people with ADHD.

Together, the group helped shape how lived experience could have a meaningful voice within AADPA, including the role of a Lived Experience Director.

And why is that important?

Because decisions about ADHD shouldn’t only be informed by clinical knowledge and research. They should also be informed by the people who know what it is actually like to live with ADHD.

Having a Lived Experience Director helps bring that perspective to the table ensuring the challenges, needs and strengths of the ADHD community are represented in conversations that can influence ADHD care.

If you have lived experience of ADHD and care deeply about improving understanding, reducing stigma and creating positive change, this could be an opportunity to turn your experience into impact.

There are passionate voices within our ADHD community that deserve to be heard.

Could yours be one of them? 💛

🔗 Learn more and apply: aadpa.com.au/lived-experience-director/

📣 Applications Now Open | Lived Experience Director

AADPA is seeking a values-aligned person with lived experience of ADHD to join our Board of Directors.

This important role will help ensure lived experience remains central to AADPA’s governance, advocacy, decision-making, and future direction as part of our commitment to meaningful lived experience leadership.

✅ Australia or New Zealand
✅ Members and non-members encouraged to apply
📅 Applications now open until Wednesday 26th August

Learn more and apply here: https://aadpa.com.au/lived-experience-director/

12/08/2026

⏪ Rewind to just over a week ago… PSA26!

Susan and Yvonne had the opportunity to attend PSA26, a few days surrounded by like-minded pharmacists who share a love of learning and a passion for improving the care we provide our patients. 💊📚

One thing about us, we genuinely LOVE to learn! There is always something new in healthcare and conferences like PSA26 give us the chance to refresh our knowledge, challenge our thinking, learn from other pharmacists and bring new ideas back to our community.

And we have to admit… we were a little star-struck to see Melissa Doyle as the host! 🤩 She was every bit as gracious, warm and down-to-earth as she comes across on TV and radio.

While we attended plenty of sessions, naturally we gravitated towards some of our special interests: Travel Health and ADHD Care.

✈️ Travel Health: One important takeaway was dengue fever. It’s something travellers may underestimate yet it is becoming increasingly important to discuss when preparing for overseas travel. It was a great reminder that travel health is about much more than simply asking, “What vaccines do I need?”

🧠 ADHD Care: We refreshed our knowledge of ADHD medications, but what really stood out was the focus on the patient experience including sensory considerations around taking tablets. Good medication care isn’t only about choosing the right medicine; it’s also about understanding the person who needs to take it.

We came home with refreshed knowledge, new ideas and, as always, even more enthusiasm to keep learning and improving what we do.

And apparently, despite not planning it, Susan and Yvonne continue to have another special skill…

💕 accidentally coordinating their outfits!

Pink jumpers this time. Matching. AGAIN. 😂

05/08/2026

Last week, we were invited to talk about ‘Importance of Skincare’ at the Hill’s Men Shed. Dry skin may seem like a nuisance but it is more than that.

Jade from the Cancer Council NSW gave us all some helpful tips about preventing skin cancer. That’s twice in one year where we got the honour of working with Jade 🙏

Thank you for the warm and wonderful welcome to all The Hills Men's Shed We are so grateful for your support 💕 We hope you have all being doing your homework and moisturising everyday 😉

29/07/2026

Nabil..💕 No explanations needed.