Chapter 1 : Pharmacy in Victoria and the origins of Sigma
In a History of Pharmacy in Victoria, written in 1994, author Gregory Haines succinctly summarised the pharmacy world which led to the founding of the Sigma enterprise in 1912.
Chapter 2 : The Founders of Sigma – E. T. Church and E. H. Leete
Edwin Thomas Church (1864 – 1947) Three years after the establishment of the Melbourne College of Pharmacy, in 1884 Edwin Thomas Church was awarded the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (Victorian Branch) gold medal for the college’s top final year student.
Chapter 3 : The Founding of Sigma 1912-1913
Ernest Holloway Leete was a prominent chemist who was a member of the College of Pharmacy who had established his own pharmacy in 1897.
Chapter 4 : From Claremont Avenue to Flinders Lane 1913 – 1927
Initially, the fortunes of the Sigma enterprise relied on E. H. Leete ‘working from home’, and even as late as 1915 company circulars were being issued from Leete’s address in Claremont Avenue Malvern.
Chapter 5 : Sigma – Tromax, the 1930s Depression, 21st birthday and economic recovery
1928 opened with the announcement by E.H. Leete that, after sixteen years, he would not stand again as a director of the company.
Chapter 6 : Sure and Steady: 1938-1953
The period between 1938 and 1953 was characterised by steady growth for Sigma, accelerated by manufacturing opportunities during World War Two.
Chapter 7 : Collins Street to Clayton: 1954-1975
Between 1954 and 1975 there was increasing economic volatility and ongoing change to market conditions.
Chapter 8: Growth and Expansion: 1975-1996
Between 1975 and 1996 the company was transformed as it entered a period of both consolidation and rapid growth.
Chapter 9: New Beginnings: 1996-2012
The appointment, in 1996, of new Managing Director, George Savvides, marked a break from the past.
