Sidney Myer — business (myer stores) with roots in the Russian Empire
Sidney Myer (born Simcha Baevski) was a Belarusian-born Australian businessman who founded the Myer department store chain — Australia's largest — and became one of Melbourne's greatest philanthropists. He arrived in Melbourne in 1899 speaking no English and built a retail empire from nothing.
Tracing the roots — Krichev (Belarus)
Born in Krichev (Russian Empire, now Belarus) in 1878 to a Jewish family, Myer arrived in Melbourne at 21 with no English, no money, and no contacts. Within 30 years he had built Australia's largest department store chain. His philanthropic legacy — the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the Myer Foundation — transformed Melbourne's cultural life permanently.
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Krichev (Belarus). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
A career defined by ambition
"The community needs its rich men to give back. There is no other way."