Help us memorialise Alice Anderson
About Alice
Alice Anderson was a trailblazing mechanic, businesswoman, and the first woman in Australia to run her own garage. Born in 1897, she challenged the gender norms of the early 20th century by becoming an expert in a male-dominated field.
The Alice Anderson Motor Service
In 1919, at just 22 years old, Alice established the Alice Anderson Motor Service in Kew, Victoria. Her business was a comprehensive service for motorists, providing repairs, vehicle sales, and driving lessons. She even employed an all-female team of mechanics and chauffeurs, a revolutionary concept for the time.
A Legacy of Empowerment
Alice's life and work were a testament to her determination, resourcefulness, and skill. She proved that women could excel in technical trades and paved the way for future generations of female innovators and entrepreneurs. Her pioneering spirit and remarkable achievements continue to inspire, making her a crucial figure in Australia’s history and the broader story of women's empowerment.
Help us to memorialise Alice
We’re on a mission to encourage public art with a statue of Alice Anderson in Kew, Victoria where Alice lived, worked and was buried.
We are working hard to capture Alice’s pioneering work in bronze and cannot do it without your help!
Only 1.5% of public statues in Melbourne are of women.
Building a bronze statue of Alice will not only honour a key figure in Australian history and the history of our local area but also celebrate her legacy of empowerment, and innovation.
A statue of Alice Anderson will inform and inspire generations to come!
Resources
A Spanner in the Works, The Extraordinary Story of Alice Anderson and Australia’s First All-Girl Garage, by Loretta Smith (Hachette Australia, 2019)
Fearless Alice Anderson and her all-girl garage, Loretta Smith interview with Sarah Kanowski, ABC, 5 April 2019:
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/alice-anderson/10955272
Loretta Smith on Alice Anderson, interview on Infinite Women:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPadE88en4g
The Alice Anderson Motor Service, Heritage Victoria, 15 April 2021:
https://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/about-us/news/news-stories/the-alice-anderson-motor-service
Miss Anderson’s Motor Service, State Library of Victoria, 5 August 2022:
https://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/our-stories/miss-andersons-motor-service/
We’re working to make donations tax deductible.
In the meantime, if you’d like to make a pledge to our fundraising campaign, you can Contact Us. We’ll get in touch with you when the campaign starts.
Make a donation pledge
Contact Us
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You can also contact us at: aliceandersonstatue@gmail.com