Myer: Since 1900
When Bataan and Corregidor fell, General Douglas MacArthur made good his escape to Australia on board a B-17 Flying Fortress that flew from the Del Monte Company' s airfield in Mindanao and landed 5 hours later at Darwin, Australia. MacArthur was with his wife Jean, son Arthur and his nanny and two senior officers. Two other B-17 carried his other staff members. As each passenger was allowed only one baggage, Mrs. MacArthur left her wardrobe behind. From Darwin, they traveled by train to Adelaide and finally reached Melbourne on March 25,1942. What Jean MacArthur first did was to shop at Myer Emporium for her clothing needs. But the general's wife had a hard time looking for dresses that would fit her as she was classified by the sales staff of Myer as SSW, meaning," short size woman".
Today, Myer is the largest chain of department stores throughout Australia. Myer sells shoes, clothing and apparel, perfumes, cosmetics, toys, and other general items at retail prices. Established by a Russian migrant at the close of the 19th century at rural Bendigo, Myer stores can now be found in all states of Australia. It reported a revenue of A$3.14 billion for 2014. With a manpower of about 19,000, Myer's main office is in Melbourne. Main store is at Bourke Street.
Every Christmas season, thousands of Australian kids, with their parents as well, troop to Myer for the traditional viewing of Christmas window display with moving figures as top attractions. And to add to that festive mood is an annual Myer Christmas parade participated by hundreds of Melbourne residents and viewed by thousands. Myer, to Australians, has become synonymous with Christmas. And during other significant Melbourne festivals, Myer store along Bourke Street has colorful banners that create that mirthful mood while at the same time attracting shoppers or spenders. Myer undoubtedly will continue to dominate the retailing business in the years to come.
Back to General MacArthur. It was in Adelaide that the General said that famous line: " I came through and I shall return." From there, his group proceeded to Melbourne where they established their first headquarters on Collins Street. Several weeks ago, I looked for that HQ. I luckily found its exact location. But there was nothing to see except for the old building which has a coffee shop at the ground floor. A marker at the entrance states that the General's HQ is recognized by the National Trust of Australia. It has been declared a heritage building.
