by Cathy Jones
Thomas James Dickson was born 28 October 1849 and died 21 July 1919.
He was the son of Joseph Dickson [1803-1891], manufacturer of ‘Dicksons Soap and Candles’. Dickson was an Alderman on the first Waverly Council, in 1859 and first raised the matter of establishing a cemetery at Waverley. Dickson Park at Bondi is named for this family. Two of Joseph’s sons, Stephen and Thomas, also served as Alderman and Mayor on Waverley Council in the 1880’s.
Thomas Dickson was a solicitor with offices in the City. He married Grace Corben and built ‘Ethelstone’ c.1893, a large Victorian Italianate home, on the corner of Broughton and Meredith St Homebush.
‘Ethelstone’ was later the home of Catholic Archbishop Michael Sheehan, who called the house ‘Jurvena’, and then by St Lucy’s School for the Blind, followed by the Society of St Paul.
Dickson served as Mayor of Strathfield [1902-03] and Alderman [1898-1910]
Dickson St, which was once known as Merley Rd, was named after Thomas Dickson. Dickson died at his home ‘Ethelstone’ in 1919. He is buried in the Presbyterian section of Rookwood Cemetery.
References
Biographical Information on Thomas Dickson provided by Bruce Dickson [descendent] December 2003.
Jones, C. ‘Ethelstone’, SDHS Vol.26 No.2, February 2003
Waverley Cemetery – a walk through history no. 2, Waverley Council Library at http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/library
Strathfield Heritage 