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When 22-year-old Alice Anderson set up her all-female mechanics business in Kew in 1919 she was blazing a trail through a man’s world. The first Australian woman to run a garage, she offered repairs, vehicle sales and driving lessons, and employed only women as mechanics and chauffeurs.

A group of dedicated locals have formed The Alice Anderson Memorial Project Association and are fundraising to erect a full-size bronze statue of Alice in Petrie Square, near her original garage. We’re working with the community association by providing the site for the statue, along with $60,000 for landscaping and $40,000 towards the statue artwork.

We acknowledge and thank the Alice Anderson Memorial Project Association for their work championing the project and raising community awareness of Alice Anderson as an important local figure, and the Anderson family representatives for their support and endorsement.

We support community efforts to achieve the $120,000 fundraising goal to create this meaningful public artwork in Boroondara. To make a tax deductible donation to the community fundraising campaign, visit Artist Project: Alice Anderson Public Art Project in Kew

The target completion date is mid-2027. 

To find out more, visit the Alice Anderson Memorial Project.

Alice Anderson and connection to Boroondara

Alice Elizabeth Foley Anderson (1897–1926) was a pioneering Australian mechanic, entrepreneur and adventurer who broke barriers for women in the early 20th century. Raised on the outskirts of Melbourne, Alice obtained her driver’s licence at age 18 and began conducting countryside tours in a Hupmobile luxury tourer, showcasing her independence and mechanical aptitude.

In 1919, at just 22 years old and without financial backing from family or a spouse, Alice established Alice Anderson’s Motor Service, Australia’s first motor garage operated entirely by women. Located at 88 Cotham Road Kew, now part of Trinity Grammar School, the garage became a hub of innovation and empowerment. Her team, affectionately known as the ‘Garage Girls’, performed a wide range of services including tyre changes, engine repairs, car washing, driving instruction and guided tours. The garage also offered mechanical classes tailored to women drivers, promoting technical education and self-sufficiency.

Alice’s life was ended at age 29 by a gunshot wound sustained in the back of her garage, shortly after returning from a historic journey to Alice Springs. Her funeral was held at Boroondara Cemetery, where her ‘Garage Girls’ served as pallbearers in uniform as a tribute to her legacy.

Alice Anderson’s contributions have continued to be recognised in recent years. In 2019, her biography A Spanner in the Works by Loretta Smith was published, and in 2020 she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in the Trailblazer category. In 2023, her story inspired the theatrical production ‘Garage Girls’, a collaboration between The Shift Theatre and Three Birds Theatre.

Alice has a strong connection to Boroondara where she lived, worked and is buried. The proposed public artwork offers an opportunity to honour her legacy in the community she helped shape and to inspire future generations through public recognition of her pioneering achievements.

A woman at the wheel of a classic, open-top vintage car
Alice Anderson at the wheel of her Hupmobile Touring. Image courtesy of University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
A woman from the 1910s dressed in a driver's outfit
Alice Anderson wearing chauffeur uniform. Image courtesy of University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Two Flapper women in a car with leopard print
Alice Anderson and Jessie Webb in an Austin 7 departing for Alice Springs. Image courtesy of University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Faded sepia photo of a woman in a large, open-top car
Alice Anderson at the wheel of a car. Image courtesy of University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
A woman in a white shirt and black pants working at a lathe
Alice Anderson in the Kew Garage workshop working at lathe. Image courtesy of University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
A woman in a chauffeur outfit holds hands with a woman whose hair is in plaits
Alice Anderson and friend. Image courtesy of University of Melbourne Archives, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
The outside of a cement car garage with a sign saying Kew Garage
Alice Anderson’s Kew Garage, 88 Cotham Road, Kew, 1925. Image courtesy of Marie Martin.

Artwork location

The proposed location for the statue is Petrie Square, Kew.