Alice Anderson Statue

12/10/2026

Check out the Alice Anderson exhibition at Kew Court House until 27 October (free entry)!

06/10/2026

🎭 What a show! What a cast! Huge congratulations to The Shift Theatre and Three Birds Theatre on two sold-out Garage Girls shows at Kew Court House! 👏🏼 Amazing to see it performed in Kew where Alice worked and lived!

Adapted from Loretta Smith’s A Spanner in the Works, this energetic and polished production shines a fresh light on Alice’s extraordinary life and legacy. 🔧🚗

We were lucky enough to snag last-minute tickets, and it was wonderful afterwards to see the foyer buzzing with people chatting about Alice with the actors, and checking out the A Spanner in the Works exhibition. It was fantastic to catch up with play co-creators Helen Hopkins , Carolyn Myers Bock and Candice Miles.

Here’s hoping for a 2027 return season, perhaps in time for when Alice’s statue is installed in Petrie Square, Kew! If you missed out on seeling the show, you can still discover Alice for yourself at the free A Spanner in the Works exhibition at Kew Court House until 27 October!

Photos

1: Garage Girls cast with writer Loretta Smith, and Team Alice members

2. Helen Hopkins and Carolyn Bock with Kew’s own female mechanic, Melissa Coakley of Coakley Motors

2. Alice at the lathe in A Spanner in the Works photo exhibition

02/10/2026

👀 Behind the scenes! The research for Alice Anderson’s statue is officially underway! 🚗💫 It’s so exciting to see artist Lis Johnson delving into Alice’s story, researching her clothes, style and life through photographs from Loretta Smith’s collection. Every detail goes into the mix as Lis develops the 110% life-size bronze statue of the remarkable Alice

And this is only the beginning…! ❤️

Thank you to every donor and supporter who has helped make this possible. We can’t wait to see Alice take shape!

18/09/2026

On this day, 17 September (1926), Alice Anderson, 29, died from a gunshot wound to her head in her auto garage on Cotham Road in Kew, Melbourne. Alice avoided the conventional careers for women of the 1920s and opened "Alice Anderson Motor Service", offering petrol, vehicle repairs, a driving school, and chauffeuring. She had just returned from a successful 2414km (1500 mile) journey to the Northern Territory in a baby Austin. But on that Friday evening, nearing 7pm, Alice was cleaning a r***e to return it to its owner when a cartridge was discharged and Alice was shot in the forehead. She was rushed to the hospital and declared dead.

Many friends attended her funeral, and her pallbearers were the lady employees dressed in their garage uniforms. At the Coroner's Inquiry, Constable McPhare said he found no suspicious circumstances; Alice’s death was ruled accidental, and just like that, a bright light had been extinguished.

Alice’s garage business continued for another 16 years until 1942 when WWII called the ladies into service. The driving school bearing the business name was still driving around Kew in the 1980s. You can visit Alice's grave in Boroondara General Cemetery, 430 High Street, Kew, Victoria, section PRES B 4059A. To read more, author Loretta Smith is the expert on all things Alice and wrote the book, "A Spanner in the Works: The extraordinary story of Alice Anderson and Australia’s first all-girl garage." You can also follow Loretta’s page – Alice Anderson Garage Girl From our "Grave Tales: Melbourne" book.

17/09/2026

Acclaimed artist Lis Johnson has been appointed by the City of Boroondara to create a 110% life-size figurative bronze statue of Alice Anderson!

We look forward to seeing Lis bring our vision of a statue of Alice Anderson to life and create a beautiful, enduring tribute to Alice that will inspire and empower generations to come.

Today is a particularly poignant and auspicious day to share this news, marking 100 years since Alice’s passing.

For us, it’s been a long journey to get to this point. It has taken five years of planning and engagement with the City of Boroondara, other stakeholders and the local community. We’re thrilled by the way the community has rallied around this project and embraced Alice’s story. Achieving this milestone wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of all our donors, with a particular thanks to the Victoria Automotive Chamber of Commerce (our Foundation Donor), Alice’s family, and the City of Boroondara. ❤️🚗❤️

15/09/2026

Join us at this special event celebrating Alice Anderson this Thursday 17 September at Kew Court House! On the centenary of Alice’s death, we’ll be celebrating her achievements and legacy while listening to live 1920s jazz by the Wikimen. Come early and see the special photography exhibition A Spanner in the Works. Bookings and more info in the bio. Please come say hi to us (just look out for 10 + women together!)

15/09/2026

So many events happening to mark the centenary of Alice Anderson’s death. Booking details are on the City of Boroondara website: https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/boroondara-arts/creative-community/art-community/public-art/alice-anderson-public-art-project/alice-anderson-events

This Thursday 17 September marks 100 years since trailblazing Australian motorist, mechanic and businesswoman Alice Anderson’s death.

To mark Alice’s centenary, the City of Boroondara is presenting a wonderful program of events at Kew Court House, celebrating Alice and the women who worked alongside her.

📷 A Spanner in the Works — Photographic Exhibition
16 September – 27 October | Kew Court House | Free entry
A photographic exhibition celebrating Alice and the women who worked alongside her.

🎺 1920s Jazz with the Wikimen
Thursday 17 September | 7.30pm | Kew Court House
Enjoy an evening of live 1920s jazz. 1920s dress is encouraged!
Tickets: $25

🎤 The Garage Girls — Live Radio Performance
Saturday 3 October | 4pm and 7.30pm | Kew Court House
A rousing live radio play bringing Alice and her garage girls to life, presented by The Shift Theatre and Three Birds Theatre.
Tickets: $30 / $24 concession

If you’re in Melbourne, we encourage you to come along support Alice Anderson Memorial Project and celebrate Alice’s remarkable life and legacy.:

💡Who was Alice? Her Place Women’s Museum are proud to have Alice story featured on the Finding Her map (link in bio) and in our physical exhibition space at Abbotsford Convent.

14/09/2026

Team Alice! ❤️ What a powerhouse team of women who’ve volunteered their time, expertise and energy to bring Alice Anderson’s legacy to life and help raise the funds for her bronze statue! Thanks to Loretta, Tina, Sam, Jane, Karin, Eliza, Susan, Stella, Mandy, Kim and Kerry. And thanks to our gent’s auxiliary: George, Mark, Peter, Ben, and Trevor. What an incredible community that’s been created around Alice’s story! 💪🏼🚗❤️

04/09/2026

🚗✨ **DON’T MISS OUT! Just TWO shows on 3 October!** ✨🚗 **The Garage Girls** an unforgettable radio play performed by The Shift Theatre & Three Birds Production inspired by the extraordinary life of Alice Anderson and her garage girls. To be performed for the FIRST TIME IN KEW where Alice lived, worked and is buried!

📍 Kew Court House
📅 3 October — TWO SHOWS ONLY!

Presented as part of the City of Boroondara’s events marking 100 years since Alice Anderson’s death, this fabulous radio play brings Alice’s remarkable story to life with humour, heart and plenty of grit.

🎟️ Book your tickets via the link in bio.

And also featuring as part of the Alice centenary events at Kew Court House don’t miss:
📸 The Alice Anderson photo exhibition from 16 September to 27 October
🎷 The Wikimen jazz night on 17 September

Come discover more about this incredible woman! 🚗