Thomas 'John' Cleary     

John as was known was the eldest of four children, born in Launceston on June 29 1947 to Tom and Thora Cleary (nee Bottcher).

John's father was a primary school Headmaster who lost his life saving one of his pupils at Latrobe Primary School at the end of year breakup at the Bluff at Devonport on December 20, 1959. This coincided with John’s first year as a boarder at St Virgil’s College.  One of John’s memories at the time was that Brother Hessian, the College Principal, drove up from Hobart and was on the doorstep early the day after his father’s death. Prior to St Virgil’s John attended Meander Primary, St Patrick’s Convent Latrobe and Latrobe Primary School.

After his father’s death the family moved to Hobart where John remained a boarder at St Virgil's until the family had settled in their new home at 18 Fitzroy Place and he continued at St Virgil’s until the end of Year 12.

John was a member of the school swimming team, played tennis, Australian Rules football and was a member of the school debating team and a member of the school cadet corps.  He was a Prefect in his final year at the College. He became a Cadet Under Officer and in 1965 was awarded the AV Long Trophy.

From an early age, John decided he wanted to become a pharmacist and recalls drawing plans of his pharmacies in night study whilst he was still a boarder. In the first week of Year 11, Brother Murphy, the then Headmaster, interviewed all the boys about their future plans. When he spoke with John and was told that he wanted to do Pharmacy. he told him that his marks were not good enough, so during that year John worked hard and was only one of a handful who Matriculated in one year.

After leaving school John went on to the University of Tasmania where he, along with the first intake of the Tasmanian Medical School, commenced the first year of a Science degree.

Interestingly that year saw one of largest intakes of St Virgil’s boys into Medicine and Pharmacy. Pharmacy took Patrick Devine, Tony Davies, Michael Grace, John Galloway, John Cleary and in Medicine there was Henry Nogajski, John O’Halloran Paul McCann and Terry Donald. 

From his second year John attended the Tasmanian Pharmacy school at the Hobart Technical College qualifying as a pharmacist after serving his apprenticeship with Kevin Corby.  After qualifying as a pharmacist John spent twelve months working as a locum pharmacist in Queensland.

On returning to Tasmania in 1971, John managed the Centre Pharmacy in Liverpool St where he founded Tasmanian Home Brewing Supplies. During this year John married Veronica Pennell, an English 'ten pound pom' on a working holiday from England, and shortly after John opened his first John Cleary Pharmacy in Binalong Rd Mornington on Hobart’s Eastern Shore. At Mornington he was joined by his old class mate Henry Nogajski and his wife Ruth Bentley who set up a medical practice next door.

At Mornington John opened the first day and night pharmacy on Hobarts eastern shore which he later moved to a site in Bayfield St next to the new medical centre.

In 1972 John was elected to the Clarence Council and went on to become Deputy Mayor.

In 1979 he was elected to the Tasmanian Parliament as a Liberal member for Franklin in the House of Assembly holding a number of Shadow Minister positions.

In 1982 Robin Gray was elected Premier and John served in his cabinet as Minister for Health, Community Welfare, Ethnic Affairs and the Elderly. The 1986 election saw John lose his seat as Health Minister at a time of unrest in the hospital system over nurses pay. Having borne the brunt of the nurse hostility John was offered a position on Premier Robin Gray’s staff.

He then returned to Pharmacy opening a new seven day a week pharmacy in Sorell in 1987. During that year John was elected President of the Tasmanian Branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and went on to become National Vice President and Chairman of their Strategic Planning Committee.

In 1988 after the resignation of Geoff Pearsall and a recount, John returned to State Parliament. He was re-elected in 1989 and in 1992 John joined Premier Groom’s Cabinet as Minister for National Parks, Environment and Land Management, Local Government, Small Business and Inland Fisheries. During that time as Minister, he introduced several environmental, planning and local government reforms including the introduction of postal voting for Local Government Elections. 

The 1996 Election saw a new Premier Tony Rundle and John served in his cabinet as Minister or Energy, Minister for Transport and Minister for Inland Fisheries. In 1998 after Premier Rundle called a snap election John chose not to seek re-election and retired from State Politics.

During John’s time in politics, he was a member of a number of delegations and organisations, including the Australian Delegation to the World Health Conference in Geneva in 1985, the Australian delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cyprus in 1995 and in 1997 he led the Australian delegation to the International Transport conference in Manchester England. During his time as Transport Minister, he was elected as the first chairman of the Australian Transport Ministerial Council.

In 1999, after leaving politics, John was appointed by the Australian Government as Chairman of the Community Pharmacy Authority, the body charged with the approval and location of Pharmacies in all States. John held this position for six years.

From early 2001, John and Veronica caravanned around Australia for more than a year, during which John applied for, and was successful in being appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Tiwi Islands Local Government 2002-5. This job John describes as the hardest, most challenging and believe it or not, most rewarding job he has ever undertaken. The position was to bring together several Aboriginal local government and corporation bodies under a single governance structure. On returning to Tasmania their links with the Tiwi Islands continued with the arrival over a few years of four Tiwi girls who attended The Friends School where John’s wife Veronica was Deputy Principal until her retirement in 2000.

Following his business enterprise in setting up a home brewing company and three pharmacies, John claims to have occupied a wide range of positions in Local Government, State Government and Aboriginal community governance, as well as in community service chairing various community organisations. For many years he was also a member of the Bellerive and Kangaroo Bay Rotary Clubs.

John and his wife Veronica returned to Tasmania in 2005 to welcome their new grandchildren and to enjoy tennis, gardening, home renovations, and their shack at Bradys Lake where John spends much time with his beloved flyfishing. John’s latest hobby is beekeeping, both at their home in Lindisfarne and at Brady’s Lake.

John and Veronica have three children and seven grandchildren.