Sid Myer

By Robin Grow - President, Australian Art Deco & Modernism Society Few citizens in Melbourne had the effect on their adopted city as Sid Myer. He had migrated from Russia in 1896 and set up business in Bendigo before moving to Melbourne. He built a retail empire, centred on his Bourke St store, but tragically died from a heart attack in 1934, the same year as the remodelling of his flagship store was completed. But he was more than a retailer – as a lover of music and the arts, he had a vision to provide a free, large venue for outdoor music for the people of Melbourne. After his death, his family (via the philanthropic Sidney Myer Charity Trust) made it a reality and fulfilled his vision with the creation of the Myer Music Bowl. It was a modernist masterpiece and was the culmination of a dream of one of its most illustrious citizens. It was first announced in April 1956, to be located between two high mounds in Melbourne’s King’s Domain on the edge of Southbank, on land provided by the City of Melbourne. The massive canopy of the Bowl would be an architectural and engineering triumph for Melbourne and was supported by a main cable that stretched from 21 metres under the ground, high across the top of steel and fibreglass masts and down into the ground again. The result was described as a structure that leapt bat-like from its hole and achieved a startling sense of weightlessness. Since it opened in 1959, it has been the venue for countless entertainment events for Melbourne. The gardens near the Bowl include many high-quality pieces of sculpture, including one that celebrates the life of Sid Myer. Fittingly, it sits near the entrance to the Bowl and looks down on the central stage. Commissioned by the Myer family, the large (220cm x 300cm) bronze work was cast by Michael Meszaros, an acclaimed medallion designer and sculptor and responsible for a number of attention-grabbing sculptures located in the streets and gardens of Melbourne and other Victorian cities. It was installed in 2001 as part of an upgrade to the Bowl and has been described as depicting Myer as a whirlwind of energy, emerging from four horizontal streams of jagged bronze. If you are near the Bowl, stop and have a look at the sculpture and say hello to Sid •