Salicki Avenue – Epping
Salicki Avenue Epping was perhaps one of our first multicultural Street names. It was named after SIMON SALICKI, a Polish Jew who left Poland in 1939 and arrived in Melbourne later that year. By 1947 Simon owned and operated a dairy farm just north of Childs Road and which straddled High Street.
A letter received from his daughter Jenny BUCH gives a good idea of an older and gentler Epping (circa 1950s) compared to the congestion we have now.
“The farm at Epping comprised 120 acres and the property was bisected by High St. The dwelling where he lived, the milking shed, barn and stables and cheese factory were all on the west side of High St. (about where McDonalds is now).”
“There were eighty acres on the east side of High St, north of Childs Rd. Childs Road was then a dirt road , little more than a cattle track going down to the Darebin Creek. There were gates across this road at the Railway Crossing.”
“My father would open his own gates and herd the cattle along Childs Rd. then cross High St. with the cows twice daily for milking. Apparently one could stand in the middle of High St. and not see a car for hours. After my father’s death in 1959, my mother Ida SALICKI was advised by a local Estate Agent Bernie IRVING to sub-divide some of the land into factory blocks”
The two streets thus formed were called Salicki Avenue and Irving Avenue. Ida Salicki subsequently fell out with Mr Irving and his street name was changed to Buch Avenue, the married name of her daughter Jenny.
Some time later I found an entry for him in the 1947 Electoral roll with a different spelling.
His name was shown as Szymon SZALICKI.
And when I typed this name into the National Archives Data base I received six references.
1. 1938- Application from Mendel FETTER to nominate (i.e. sponsor) Szymon SZALICKI, Polish.
2. 1939-Szymon SZALICKI born 7th Dec 1905, travelled per ship ‘Ormonde’ and arrived Melbourne 12th Sep 1939.
3. 1940-Application from Szymon to nominate his wife Masza and their children Josepe,Ele Chaim, Gita and Szejna, all Polish. This application was refused at the time as they were all in Russian held Poland.
4. 1941- Purchase of land at Garfield by Szymon.
5. 1944- Purchase of land at Kew/Doncaster by Szymon.
6. 1945/1946-Naturalisation of Szymon SALICKI including a digitised copy of each of the 28 pages of documents. His age is shown as 40. He had brown hair and blue eyes, Born in Poland and married there in 1925. Since he arrived in Victoria he resided in Carlton for 2yrs and 5mths, Keon Park for I yr and 10mths, St.Kilda for 7mths and Doncaster for 8mths. He also stated he had over 1100 pounds on an account with the CBA bank.
