A spanner in the works

The extraordinary story of Alice Anderson and Australia's first all-girl garage is the subtitle of this book by Loretta Smith. I had heard of Alice Anderson and her garage, possibly when I worked at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria in 1995 and again from 2002 to 2011. We may have received an enquiry about Alice and her garage though one of the members of the RHSV, Mimi Colligan, had researched the life of Alice Anderson and published chapters in books on the topic - Double Time Women in Victoria 150 years edited by Marilyn Lake in 1985. Chapter 6 of Eat My Dust: Early Women Motorists by Georgine Clarsen (2008) is based on research undertaken by Mimi Colligan. The topic may have therefore come up in conversation with Mimi.

Alice Anderson was born in Australia in 1897, the daughter of Irish parents. Her father was a talented engineer who at one time worked with John Monash, however his temperament made him difficult to work with and he was frequently in financial trouble. The family moved to New Zealand for a time and then returned to England and Ireland, before, once again, settling in Australia. Alice's education was interupted though she did complete the equivalent to year 10. Automobiles were growing in popularity and when her father decided to run a business transporting passengers between Healesville and Alexandra Alice joined him. Eventually Alice decided to run her own business and, after overcoming a variety of obstacles, established the Miss Anderson's Motor Service staffed exclusively by women. Alice loved driving and earned money driving  groups around Melbourne and to the Dandenongs, plus some interstate trips to New South Wales and Tasmania. The garage also provided driving instruction for ladies as well as training for women to be mechanics. In 1926, Alice and Jessie Webb drove from Melbourne to Alice Springs in a small car to prove that it could be done. Alice was also interested in aviation and had plans to learn how to fly a plane. Alice's death, aged 29, in 1926 left lots of unanswered questions. Friends ensured that her business continued to operate until the early 1940s.

As well as being the story of Alice's short life, this book is a study of the changing role of women in the early twentieth century plus providing an account of the growth and acceptance of the automobile industry in Victoria. This is the story of a determined young woman trying to make a living in a 'man's world'.

Detailed notes and bibliography are included.

How Australia's female garage owner Alice Anderson helped change social attitudes

The story of Alice Anderson and Australia's first all-female garage

Australian Dictionary of Biography - Alice Anderson