‘A Spanner in the Works’ celebrates Alice Anderson (1897–1926), Australia’s pioneering woman motor mechanic, entrepreneur and inventor.
Based in Kew, Anderson opened and ran Alice Anderson’s Motor Service, a renowned all-female garage that offered women training, employment and a rare pathway into the world of motoring. At a time when cars and mechanical trades were largely considered men’s work, Anderson built a business, a workshop and a community that challenged expectations.
Drawing on photographs and artefacts from a private collection and the Kew Historical Society, the exhibition offers a glimpse into daily life at the garage. Images show Anderson at work, mentoring her team of “garage girls”, developing practical inventions and setting out on motoring adventures that reflected her skill, independence and determination.
Revisiting material first presented at Hawthorn Arts Centre in 2019, alongside the publication of Loretta Smith’s biography ‘A Spanner in the Works’, this exhibition marks the centenary of Anderson’s death in 1926 and invites you to rediscover this remarkable local figure.
This exhibition is on display in the foyer of Kew Court House from Wednesday 16 September until Tuesday 27 October 2026.
Image: Alice Anderson at the age of 19 in the ‘Hupmobile’ her father had given her for her 18th birthday.
