$125,000

That is the advertisement, well-known Tamworth and Manilla pharmacist Patrick Mahony has floated to just about every suitable pharmacist throughout Australia since January.

The package is $30,000 more lucrative than the going metropolitan salary and can't even tempt suitable pharmacy

graduates.

Mr Mahony believes he and daughter Lia have tried every means to fill the vacancy at the South Tamworth Robert St Pharmacy, which first arose when a staff member left 15 months ago.

"I have tried every usual means of finding qualified pharmacists ... and I have even floated the offer to overseas applicants," Mr Mahony said.

He said as soon as pharmaceutical graduates were registered in Australia they were lured to the city.

News of the Mahony's dilemma comes with the launch of this week's Pharmacy Guild of Australia campaign to encourage country high school students to study pharmacy and return after gaining a degree.

The South Tamworth Pharmacy position requires a pharmacist to work six days a week and would reward a suitable applicant with two long weekends a month.

There are four weeks annual leave on a set salary, $1000 in relocation subsidies, rent subsidies, a motor vehicle and a $3000 bonus for staying in the position for 12 months.

"I have obtained a list of 300 suitable pharmacists who are currently registered and sent letters to them informing them of the position, as well as including Tourism Tamworth brochures to tell them where the city is located and what it can offer," Mr Mahony said.

"About 30 applicants responded; a number of them asked how many stops was Tamworth away from Hornsby and whether they could

travel back to Sydney every

weekend?"

Mr Mahony, who with daughter Lia owns and runs three pharmacies in South Tamworth and Manilla, said not even soon-to-be registered graduates seemed interested.

Mr Mahony said a thousand e-mails sent internationally had attracted expressions of interests from Rhodesia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Central Africa.