‘Quiet hero’ of pharmacy mourned

Peter Balle is being remembered as a long-serving Auckland community pharmacist, a devoted father, a lover of good food, wine, and a good laugh.

Peter, who owned Peter Balle Pharmacy in Kohimarama since 1987, passed away on Christmas Day following a short illness. His pharmacy has since closed permanently.

Former pharmacy auditor Tony Cox first met Peter in 1979 when he began an internship at Guy’s Pharmacy, Papakura.

Peter was working there as a pharmacist and Mr Cox credits him with giving him the passion he has for the pharmacy profession.

“We immediately became good friends and I remember my internship as great fun – with a whole lot of learning thrown in. Although not my preceptor, Peter was the pharmacist who showed me the ropes and taught me the real meaning of competence and professionalism,” he says.

“We often joked that we could never open a pharmacy together as I don’t think New Zealand would be prepared for a Cox & Balle’s Pharmacy. As it was, the two of us working at Guy’s created enough humour.”

The duo stayed in touch after Mr Cox’s internship and in the late 1980s they owned pharmacies close to each other. When Peter purchased his pharmacy in Kohimarama, Mr Cox had a pharmacy further down Kepa Road in Ōrākei.

Mr Cox was the best man at Peter’s wedding to the late Jenny Balle. Jenny and Peter had three sons: Jared, Bradley and Clayton, and settled down to live locally.

Peter spent his life working for the community and caring deeply for his patients, Mr Cox says.

“People were not seen as prescriptions or dollars, but as patients, customers and friends that needed his help.”

He certainly listened to people, he always had time for everyone that came in

Lyn Palmer worked at Peter Balle Pharmacy as a retail staff member since 1995 and says Peter was a wonderful and easy-going boss.

“He certainly listened to people, he always had time for everyone that came in,” Ms Palmer says.

“He knew everybody [that came to the pharmacy] on a first name basis, and they knew us.”

He was well known for specialising in catering to children on the autism spectrum and children with allergies, she says. He also had an interest in hormone imbalances in women after Jenny passed away from breast cancer in the 2000s.

Mr Cox says Peter was devoted to his patients and is one of the “quiet heroes” of the pharmacy sector.

Outside pharmacy, Peter had a great love of fine food and wine.

Mr Cox recalls that when he and Peter worked together, much of their salaries were spent on dining out at the great restaurants of the day, including The Bronze Goat, Oblios, French Café and Antoine’s.

“The rest of our salaries went on the wine.”

Ms Palmer says Peter always had a café to recommend and after Jenny passed, he took over cooking for his boys and became extremely proficient at it.

“Even from his hospital bed, he was ringing me and says ‘the recipe for the chocolate chip muffins, Lyn. Have you still got it? Because Clayton is visiting from the UK and he used to love it’.”

In later life, Peter began growing his own food at home. He had a vegetable garden where he grew famously good old-fashioned beefsteak tomatoes from seeds left to him by his late father, Des.

He also hosted a wine club, where he and friends regularly got together to eat meals with appropriately paired wines.

“If Peter had a friend, it was a friend for life,” Ms Palmer says.

Peter eventually found a new soulmate, Linda, who survives him, along with his sons.

“Whenever we met (for dinner of course) he was in a wonderful happy place – super proud of his family and proud of his life’s work in the community,” Mr Cox says.

Mr Balle’s funeral was held on 29 December.