Sidney Myer
Encyclopedia
Sidney Baevski Myer was a Russian Australian businessman and philanthropist
, best known for creating Myer
, Australia's largest chain of department stores.
, Russian Empire
(within the Pale of Settlement
)
now Belarus
, the youngest of eleven children born to Ezekiel Baevski, Hebrew scholar, and his wife, Koona Dubrusha, née Shur.
He was educated at the Jewish Elementary School in Krichev, and later managed his mother's drapery business.
He migrated to Melbourne
in August 1899 with very little money and little knowledge of English
to join his elder brother, Elcon Myer (1875-1938) who had left Russia two years earlier.
; later they established a small drapery shop in Bendigo
. This not proving very successful, Sidney Myer took his goods, stockings, lace
s, etc., from door to door, and, in spite of knowing little English
, sold his wares. He then bought a cart and travelled through country towns. The business was later moved to Pall Mall, Bendigo, where it prospered, other shops were added, and later the Bendigo business of Craig Williamson and Thomas was bought.
In 1911 Myer purchased the business of Wright and Neil, Drapers
, in Bourke Street
, near the General Post Office
, and a new building was completed and opened in 1914. The Doveton woollen mills at Ballarat were purchased in 1918, and in 1921 a new building fronting on Post Office Place, was added at Melbourne. These became the Myer
chain of department store
s.
The Myer Emporium grew with the purchase of the old established businesses of Robertson & Moffat and Stephens & Sons. In 1925, Myer
Ltd was listed on the Melbourne Stock Exchange and the new building on the Lonsdale Street
frontage was begun. A separate building in Queensberry Street, Melbourne, was put up in 1928, and the Collins Street
businesses of T. Webb and Sons, china importers, and W. H. Rocke and Company, house furnishers, were bought and transferred to the Bourke-street building. A public company had in the meantime been formed which by 1934 had a paid-up capital of nearly £2,500,000. A controlling interest in Marshall's Limited of Adelaide
was also acquired. The company was then employing 5300 people with medical and nursing aid for the staff, and rest homes for them at the seaside and in the Dandenong Ranges
.
Some of Myer's friends and business associates feared that the business was developing too fast, but the company was in a prosperous state and fast recovering from the effects of the depression, when Myer died suddenly on 5 September 1934, at age 56.
, though the divorce was not recognised under Australian law.
In 1920, he also converted to Christianity, and on 8 January 1920, he married Margery Merlyn Baillieu
(later Dame Merlyn), on her 20th birthday. They had two daughters and two sons: Ken
(born 1 March 1921), Neilma (born 7 November 1922), Baillieu ("Bails") (born 11 January 1926), and Marigold Merlyn Baillieu Myer (born 2 May 1928). Merlyn Myer travelled to San Francisco for the birth of each of their four children to ensure they would be considered legitimate. The Myers returned to Australia in 1929.
Ken Myer was also a philanthropist, a prime mover behind the Victorian Arts Centre
; chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
; and was offered and declined the governor-generalship of Australia
. He and his brother Baillieu set up the Myer Foundation
in 1959.
Sidney Myer's gravesite, a sepulchre for the reception of urns of ashes, is in Box Hill Public Cemetery in Melbourne. Also interred in the tomb are Dame Merlyn Myer, and Ken Myer and his wife, Yasuko, who perished together in a light aircraft crash in Alaska
in 1992. The grave is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
. 37°49′18.06"S 145°7′58.35"E
ist who enjoyed music, Sidney Myer established free, open-air concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
in 1929, which were always well attended by Melbournians.
During the Depression of the 1930s Myer felt a responsibility to contribute something to the community that had assisted him in achieving business success and a personal fortune. Rather than terminate workers in his Department Store, all staff, including himself, had their wages cut. Relief work was personally financed by a 22,000-pound sum, to provide employment opportunities. For the unemployed at Christmas
he financed a Christmas dinner for 10,000 people at the Royal Exhibition Building
, including a gift for every child.
The most famous philanthropic funding was for the construction of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl
in the Kings Domain, Melbourne in 1958, which is named in his honour.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, best known for creating Myer
Myer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
, Australia's largest chain of department stores.
Early life
Myer was born in Krychaw (Krichev), Mogilev GovernorateMogilev Governorate
The Mogilev Governorate or Government of Mogilev was a governorate of the Russian Empire in the territory of the present day Belarus. Its capital was in Mogilev....
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(within the Pale of Settlement
Pale of Settlement
The Pale of Settlement was the term given to a region of Imperial Russia, in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed, and beyond which Jewish permanent residency was generally prohibited...
)
now Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, the youngest of eleven children born to Ezekiel Baevski, Hebrew scholar, and his wife, Koona Dubrusha, née Shur.
He was educated at the Jewish Elementary School in Krichev, and later managed his mother's drapery business.
He migrated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in August 1899 with very little money and little knowledge of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
to join his elder brother, Elcon Myer (1875-1938) who had left Russia two years earlier.
Career
Sidney and Elcon Myer both worked in Slutzkin's underclothing business in Flinders Lane, MelbourneFlinders Lane, Melbourne
Flinders Lane is a minor street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The street runs parallel to and to the north of Flinders Street and as a narrow one way lane takes on the name of the wider main street...
; later they established a small drapery shop in Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
. This not proving very successful, Sidney Myer took his goods, stockings, lace
Lace
Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was...
s, etc., from door to door, and, in spite of knowing little English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, sold his wares. He then bought a cart and travelled through country towns. The business was later moved to Pall Mall, Bendigo, where it prospered, other shops were added, and later the Bendigo business of Craig Williamson and Thomas was bought.
In 1911 Myer purchased the business of Wright and Neil, Drapers
Drapery
Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles . It may refer to cloth used for decorative purposes – such as around windows – or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothing, formerly conducted by drapers.In art history, drapery refers to any cloth or...
, in Bourke Street
Bourke Street, Melbourne
Bourke Street is one of Melbourne's best known streets. Historically been regarded as Melbourne's "second street", with the main street being Collins Street and "busier than Bourke Street" is a popular catchphrase. Bourke Street has traditionally been Melbourne's entertainment hub...
, near the General Post Office
General Post Office, Melbourne
The Melbourne General Post Office , is a former post office in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
, and a new building was completed and opened in 1914. The Doveton woollen mills at Ballarat were purchased in 1918, and in 1921 a new building fronting on Post Office Place, was added at Melbourne. These became the Myer
Myer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
chain of department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s.
The Myer Emporium grew with the purchase of the old established businesses of Robertson & Moffat and Stephens & Sons. In 1925, Myer
Myer
Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
Ltd was listed on the Melbourne Stock Exchange and the new building on the Lonsdale Street
Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Lonsdale Street is located in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid, it runs roughly east-west. Lonsdale Street's eastern end intersects with Spring Street while its western end intersects with Spencer Street. It is home to multiple office buildings, courts,...
frontage was begun. A separate building in Queensberry Street, Melbourne, was put up in 1928, and the Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
businesses of T. Webb and Sons, china importers, and W. H. Rocke and Company, house furnishers, were bought and transferred to the Bourke-street building. A public company had in the meantime been formed which by 1934 had a paid-up capital of nearly £2,500,000. A controlling interest in Marshall's Limited of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
was also acquired. The company was then employing 5300 people with medical and nursing aid for the staff, and rest homes for them at the seaside and in the Dandenong Ranges
Dandenong Ranges
The Dandenong Ranges are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately 35 km east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...
.
Some of Myer's friends and business associates feared that the business was developing too fast, but the company was in a prosperous state and fast recovering from the effects of the depression, when Myer died suddenly on 5 September 1934, at age 56.
Personal life
Myer was married twice. On 8 March 1905, he married Hannah (Nance) Flegeltaub (1868-1963). They had no children, but in 1911 he acted as guardian of his nephew, Norman Myer, son of another of his brothers. In mid-1919, Sidney Myer went to the United States to study retailing. While there he divorced Hannah in Reno, NevadaReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, though the divorce was not recognised under Australian law.
In 1920, he also converted to Christianity, and on 8 January 1920, he married Margery Merlyn Baillieu
Merlyn Myer
Dame Margery Merlyn Baillieu Myer DBE , best known as Merlyn Myer, was an Australian philanthropist, who was knighted in recognition of her charitable work....
(later Dame Merlyn), on her 20th birthday. They had two daughters and two sons: Ken
Ken Myer
Kenneth Baillieu Myer AC DSC was an American-born Australian patron of the arts, humanities and sciences; diplomat; administrator; businessman; and philanthropist...
(born 1 March 1921), Neilma (born 7 November 1922), Baillieu ("Bails") (born 11 January 1926), and Marigold Merlyn Baillieu Myer (born 2 May 1928). Merlyn Myer travelled to San Francisco for the birth of each of their four children to ensure they would be considered legitimate. The Myers returned to Australia in 1929.
Ken Myer was also a philanthropist, a prime mover behind the Victorian Arts Centre
The Arts Centre (Melbourne)
The Victorian Arts Centre is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia....
; chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
; and was offered and declined the governor-generalship of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. He and his brother Baillieu set up the Myer Foundation
Myer Foundation
The Myer Foundation is a major Australian philanthropic organisation.The Sidney Myer Charitable Trust was established by the will of Sidney Myer who died in 1934 leaving one tenth of his estate for the benefit of the community. Myer's will was proved at £922,000...
in 1959.
Sidney Myer's gravesite, a sepulchre for the reception of urns of ashes, is in Box Hill Public Cemetery in Melbourne. Also interred in the tomb are Dame Merlyn Myer, and Ken Myer and his wife, Yasuko, who perished together in a light aircraft crash in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in 1992. The grave is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
. 37°49′18.06"S 145°7′58.35"E
Philanthropy
A violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist who enjoyed music, Sidney Myer established free, open-air concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
in 1929, which were always well attended by Melbournians.
During the Depression of the 1930s Myer felt a responsibility to contribute something to the community that had assisted him in achieving business success and a personal fortune. Rather than terminate workers in his Department Store, all staff, including himself, had their wages cut. Relief work was personally financed by a 22,000-pound sum, to provide employment opportunities. For the unemployed at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
he financed a Christmas dinner for 10,000 people at the Royal Exhibition Building
Royal Exhibition Building
The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. It is located at 9 Nicholson Street in the Carlton Gardens, flanked by Victoria, Nicholson, Carlton and Rathdowne Streets, at the north-eastern edge of the central business district...
, including a gift for every child.
Legacy
Myer's will was proved at £922,000. His funeral was attended by some 100,000 people. One-tenth of his estate went to establish the Sidney Myer Charitable Trust, now known as the Sidney Myer Fund, to continue the tradition of philanthropy began by its founder.The most famous philanthropic funding was for the construction of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Sidney Myer Music Bowl
The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is an outdoor performance venue in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the lawns and gardens of Kings Domain, close to the Arts Centre and the Southbank entertainment precinct...
in the Kings Domain, Melbourne in 1958, which is named in his honour.