(Material researched & presented by Barbara Armstrong)

(See also Noris Ioannou. Barossa Journeys: into a Valley of Tradition. Kent Town, SA:Paringa Press 1997.)

An early photograph displayed in the Tanunda Museum, Tanunda

Photograph courtesy of Peter Torokfalvy

The Heuzenroeder family were chemists at Tanunda, Blumberg, and in Adelaide, at 50 Rundle Street. The Adelaide pharmacy was listed in the 1867 Adelaide Almanack, Town and Country Directory and Guide to South Australia, as was the Tanunda pharmacy. The Adelaide and Blumberg pharmacies were also listed in the 1876 edition of the Directory of South Australia. These listings did not mention homœopathic medicines, although it is assumed that these formed part of their offerings, along with “English, French, German and American patent medicines, all kinds of official plants, herbs, flowers, seeds and roots” etc.

Moritz Joseph Heuzenroeder migrated with his family to the Barossa in 1845, and together with his brother Joseph, established the first pharmaceutical shop in Tanunda in 1849 (other references state 1850). Note that there was no listing for Heuzenroeder in the South Australian Almanack and General Colonial Directory for 1851. It appears that their Adelaide shop was opened in the 1860s.

Family members mentioned were: 1867 – Joseph at Tanunda; 1876 – Theodore at Tanunda, Carl at Blumberg, and Henry in Adelaide.

Altona drops as sold by H.A. Brauer

Some references state that in 1877 the Heuzenroeders were the first to import Homopathicer Tropfen Kron Essenz or “Altona Drops” to South Australia from Germany. However, I have discovered that the first reference for its importation to South Australia was in 1856 when the grocery business of Gerke and Rodemann imported the Drops, along with other goods, from Hamburg. Then in 1865 a company called A.F. Christen and Co advertised that that they sold Altona Drops. The Drops were used “for aiding digestion and relief of offensive breath, loss of appetite and biliousness”.

Later, several companies advertised that they sold "Genuine Altona Drops". In 1938 the Tanunda Pharmacy operated by H.A. Brauer advertised the Drops. The sample bottle shown here indicates that Brauer took over the business of Martin V. John. The post office directory for 1924 listed Mr John as a chemist's assistant in Tanunda. As such, it is probable that he worked for Mr Heuzenroeder. It appears that Mr John became the owner of Heuzenroeder's pharmacy in Tanunda, which was later taken over by Mr Brauer.

© Barbara Armstrong