On the 23 January 1871 Bacchus Marsh is proclaimed a Shire and to celebrate the 150 anniversary, the Society is remembering some of our past Shire Presidents.
George Dickie was born in Stamford Hill, London in 1831. This is where the western hill of Main Street, Bacchus Marsh derives its name.
Stamford Hill, Hackney/Haringey
Located north of Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill is one of London’s most distinctive quarters, with its highly independent community of perhaps 20,000 Hasidic (Haredi) (used to be referred to as ‘ultra-Orthodox’) Jews.
In the 13th century this was Sandford Hill, where a sandy ford crossed a tributary of the river Lea. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries its elevated situation attracted wealthy merchants, notably Moses Vita Montefiore, an Italian Jew who died here in 1789.
Stamford Hill also has residents of black African, black Caribbean, Turkish and Kurdish heritage.
Courtesy of Hidden London.
He arrived in Melbourne in 1853 and went into business as a baker in North Melbourne.
Building a Family and business in Bacchus Marsh
He moved to Bacchus Marsh in 1857 and worked for Thomas Pearce and on the 19 February 1863, George married Ellen Ross Anderson in the Presbyterian Church.
Notice of the marriage of George Dickie and Ellen Ross Anderson.
Courtesy of NLA, TROVE website. Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 – 1918, 1935), Saturday 28 February 1863, page 10
They had 2 sons and 5 daughters, all but one survived to adulthood. In 1867 George ran the Border Bakery in Bacchus Marsh, a business he purchased from William Watson. In later years he expanded his business and operated a General Store.
Advertisement for George Dickie’s Border Bakery.
Bacchus Marsh Express (Vic. : 1866 – 1943), Saturday 16 May 1868, page 1.
Courtesy of the Bacchus Marsh and District Historical Society Inc. Collection.
Advertisement for George Dickie’s Border Bakery.
Bacchus Marsh Express (Vic. : 1866 – 1943), Saturday 30 December 1871, page 2
Courtesy of the Bacchus Marsh and District Historical Society Inc. Collection.
Maddingley Park was another of George’s special interests while living in Bacchus Marsh.
George died on the 19 September 1904 and is buried in the Maddingley Cemetery.
If you are related to George and have some family stories and photos to share we would like to hear from you on our Facebook page. Help us celebrate our past community leaders.