Welcome, it’s Adrian Bo, from Ray White Park Coast, Eastern Suburbs. And this week, I’m on Dick Street in Randwick which connects Glebe Street and Carrington Road. I’m going to relate the story of the local legend this street was named after and why. Dr. James Adam Dick was born in 1866 in Windsor, 46 kilometres north west of the Sydney CBD. As an aside, Windsor has many of the oldest surviving European buildings and due to it’s location on the Hawkesbury River, it was one of the very earliest settlements of New South Wales going back to 1791 for its agricultural fertility. In fact, in 1810, Governor Macquarie had planned for an invasion of Windsor by France who saw the strategic significance of Windsor due to the vast amount of food being produced there to feed Sydney residents. So James Adam Dick had a passion for medicine which led to many years of study at St. Andrew’s College in the University of Sydney, Edinburgh University and the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin. In 1893, he moved to Randwick where he met his wife, Lillian Louise Wall, and began working for the Home of the Aged and Infirm as well as the Asylum for Children which eventually became the Prince of Wales Hospital. James and Lillian were married in St. Jude’s in 1911 and moved into a two storey mansion called “Catfoss” on Belmore Road.

Catfoss must have been named after another significant English property, Catfoss Hall in the Yorkshire village of Sigglesthorne. The wedding was a massive local event with several thousand spectators, so James must have been held in very high regard locally. Part of that reason would’ve been his work on the bubonic plague, which devastated Sydney in 1900 and continued to hang around for the next decade. James and his brother, Robert, produced significant research over several years, focused on eradicating the plague. James also served in the New South Wales Medical Corps in the South African War in 1900, where he was awarded the Queen’s Medal for his service. In fact, his departure from Randwick to serve in what was then referred to as the “Transvaal War” was such a big deal for the local community whom he had served so diligently that the Sydney Morning Herald reported that council gave him an official send-off event at the Town Hall. He later served in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World war on the Greek Island of Lemnos, Cairo in Egypt, and also various places in France and was made a Colonel. In 1919, he was included in The New Years Honours List when Colonel Dick was made a C.M.G, which stands for a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St George. Now, the first mention of Dick Street in the subdivision maps of the time was in 1919, when the Bishopscourt Estate was subdivided, forming initial blocks on Marcel Avenue and Susan Street. This implies the honour of the naming of Dick Street was bestowed on James on his return from the war, which is very fitting and gives this street a great significance.

I love digging out old stories like this and I think it acknowledges the legends of our local community. And even though Dick Street must be one of the shorter streets in Randwick, James Dick’s legacy is well worth celebrating. Houses on Dick Street are very, very tightly held. But last year, number two, sold for $4.72 million. You’d have to go all the way back to 2015 to find the previous sale which was number eight for $6.11 million. I’ve personally sold thousands of properties over the 34 years. I’ve been selling in the Randwick area. And most recently, I’ve sold 1 at 3 George Street, a two-bedroom apartment with no parking or balcony, which was $1,125,000. Also sold 3B at 94 Alison Road, an original two-bedroom apartment, which I sold for $980,000. Also 2 at 30 Cowper Street, a 60-square metre apartment, I sold for $934,000. And also, 4 Pitt Street, of two-bedroom semi, which I sold for $2,665,000. I hope you found the story of Dick Street as interesting as I did. Please keep smiling and always remember, your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.