Article leads to rekindled friendship

A STORY in the McIvor Times last year enabled Dariusz Szymanski to rekindle a friendship with someone he hadn’t seen in 20 years.

Adam Safrin from Albert Park decided to Google his friend’s name late last year, saw the story and contacted Mr Szymanski.

“We are planning to catch up soon,” Mr Szymanski said. “It will be good to see him.”

Mr Szymanski’s wife Basia said they were living in St Kilda 20 years ago and they all often met up at birthdays and parties, but lost contact when they moved away.

“It was all thanks to the story that he was able to find us,” she said.

Mr Szymanski said that at first he didn’t remember Mr Safrin, but as they talked it all came back.

“It is amazing that the story led him to find us,” he said.

Six weeks ago, Mr Szymanski was collecting his mail from the Post Office when he noticed a ‘For Lease’ sign in a small shop just a few doors away.

“I immediately contacted the real estate agent to get the lease details,” he said.

“Then I rang my mentor and former employer Darren Harris from Micheli Jewellery in Moonee Ponds where I worked for 10 years before coming to Heathcote.

“He told me I had to do it, so I signed the lease.”

Mr Szymanski had been working from a workshop he constructed at his Heathcote home.

“We opened in the morning on 21 December and received a wonderful response,” he said.

“Then we found out we were able to collect the keys to our newly constructed home, so closed the shop at 1pm and drove to Bendigo to collect them. I had an appointment with a customer later in the afternoon. It was a rushed day but a good one.

“Since then the shop has done very well. We have had huge support from locals. Some just put their heads through the front door to congratulate us and say well done.”

Mr Szymanski has a wide range of hand-crafted jewellery for sale and also offers repairs, resizing and remodelling.

“We have watch batteries for all types of watches and batteries for remote controls,” he said.

“The workshop at the back of the shop will be completed by the end of the month and we will offer ultrasonic polishing and cleaning.

“I also have a second-hand dealer’s licence and offer cash for gold.”

Heathcote Jewellery is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3pm, on Saturdays from 9.30am to 1pm and by appointment on Tuesdays.