Alice Elizabeth Anderson

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Alice Elizabeth Anderson
Alice Elizabeth Anderson.jpg
Born
Alecia Elizabeth Foley Anderson

(1897-06-08)8 June 1897
Melbourne, Australia
Died17 September 1926(1926-09-17) (aged 29)
Kew, Melbourne, Australia
Cause of deathGunshot
NationalityAustralian
OccupationBusinesswoman, garage proprietor, designer, industrial/product designer, and mechanic
Years active1919–1926
Known forFirst all-women garage proprietor in Australia
Parent(s)

Alice Elizabeth Anderson, born Alecia Elizabeth Foley Anderson (8 June 1897 – 17 September 1926), was an Australian businesswoman, garage proprietor, designer, industrial/product designer, and mechanic. Anderson was the owner of the first all-women garage workshop in Australia.[1][2][3][4]

Life and career[]

Third child of five children of the Irish-born couple Joshua Thomas Noble Anderson, an engineer, and Ellen Mary (née White-Spunner), Alice Elizabeth Anderson was born in Melbourne, Australia, on 8 June 1897. She grew up in a bush house in Narbethong, a small town in the rural suburbs of Melbourne, where she learned to hunt, fish, horse ride, and had her first contact with driving.[3] During her teenage years, Anderson attended the Melbourne Church of England Girls' Grammar School, however financial struggles forced her to abandon schooling after five terms.[4] Her sisters were Frances Alexandra (Frankie) Derham (1894–1987), artist and art educator,[5] Joan and Claire, who was the first woman engineering student at the University of Melbourne.[3] Her brother Stewart drowned in 1913.[6]

While some writers say Anderson's first contact with vehicles happened in the local co-operative bus service,[4] others say she worked in her father's motoring business as a secretary and the staff taught her to drive.[7][8] Either way, her interests in motors and technology began in her late childhood.

At the age of 18, Anderson started a part-time job as a clerical worker and, alongside, took groups on weekend touring trips to the Dandenong Ranges.[3][8] By the age of 21, she settled in Kew and became a full-time worker for her tourism business. A year later, she acquired a block in Cotham Road, constructed a brick garage, and founded the Alice Anderson Motor Service enterprise.[8]

Alice Anderson Motor Service[]

Inaugurated in 1919, Alice Anderson Motor Service was the first all-women garage workshop in Australia.[9] The services offered included vehicle repair, chauffeuring with garage-owned cars, interstate touring trips, driving classes, and petrol stations.[9][3] In addition, women could take educational programs on engine technology, and participate in a mechanics apprenticeship.[3] Due to Anderson's reputation for caring and passion, mothers from all across Australia would send their daughters to the garage to learn to drive.[10][11] By 1925, the garage was so popular that 50 women applied for the apprenticeship program, the crew grew to 9 members, and the car fleet grew to 5 vehicles.[3] She trained more than thirty young female chauffeurs.[12]

The enterprise continued to operate after Anderson's death until at least 1954, first with , a close friend of Anderson, as manager, and then with .[3]

Death[]

On 7 September 1926, Anderson was found dead in her workshop in Kew after a day of work.[3][11] The coroner's report suggested that she accidentally shot herself while cleaning two of her guns, and family and friends dismissed the possibility of suicide.[3]

The news stated the following day: "Probably no woman in Melbourne was better known. She pioneered the way to motor garages for women, and made a greater success of it than most men could."[11]

Anderson was buried in the Boroondara Cemetery following a graveside service. Young women who worked in her garage acted as pallbearers.[13]

Legacy[]

According to the historian Loretta Smith, Anderson "was a woman of 'rare achievement' who excelled as a motoring entrepreneur and inventor."[1][14] Her best known invention is the , the ‘Anderson get out and under board’, a board on castor-wheels, for use when working under a car although she did not apply for a patent at the time.[3][8]

Anderson was involved with several social clubs and associations.[10] She was a founder and Vice-President of ,[3][15] and a member of The Lyceum Club,[16] a club for prominent and influential women in the fields of arts, sciences, and contemporary issues.[17][18] As an advocate for women in garage work, and female independence, she published press articles and contributed to motoring columns.[19][10]

In 2016, Alice's Garage, a social enterprise, was founded upon Anderson's ideals of women empowerment. Its mission is "to address the inequalities LGBTI Elders face related to ageism and the legacies of our LGBTIphobic histories."[20]

Since 2017, "Alice Anderson's Motor Service" is an exhibition in the National Motor Museum of Australia.[21] In 2018, the project won the "Interpretation Australia, Runners-up – 2018 Awards of Excellence."[22]

In March 2020 Anderson was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women following nomination by members of the Friends of Boroondara (Kew) cemetery.[23]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Smith, Loretta (26 March 2019). A Spanner in the Works: The extraordinary story of Alice Anderson and Australia's first all-girl garage. Hachette Australia. ISBN 9780733642111.
  2. ^ Clarsen, Georgine (1 October 2008). Eat My Dust: Early Women Motorists. JHU Press. ISBN 9781421405148.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Laurenson, Geoff (June 2014). "Nothing ventured, nothing gained: Alice Anderson – mechanic, chauffeur and entrepreneur" (PDF). University of Melbourne Collections. issue 14: 16–21.
  4. ^ a b c Clarsen, Georgine (2005). "Anderson, Alice Elizabeth (1897–1926)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. Supplementary Volume. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 22 July 2019 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  5. ^ White, Margaret H., "Cultural Advice", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 17 March 2021
  6. ^ "THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE ARCHIVESNAME OF COLLECTION Frances Derham".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Stone, Kerrianne (10 January 2017). "Alice Anderson in her Hupmobile Touring car". Teaching with Unique Collections. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d Webb, Carolyn (18 September 2015). "Pioneering female mechanic Alice Anderson back in the spotlight". The Age. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Alice Anderson's Motor Service: Australia's first all-female workshop | CarAdvice". CarAdvice.com. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "Obituary – Alice Elizabeth Anderson – Obituaries Australia". oa.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "MISS ANDERSON'S DEATH". Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 – 1954). 18 September 1926. p. 1. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  12. ^ Verghis, Sharon. "Sharon Verghis reviews 'A Spanner in the Works: The extraordinary story of Alice Anderson and Australia's first all-girl garage' by Loretta Smith". www.australianbookreview.com.au (in British English). Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Social Notes". Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 – 1946). 25 September 1926. p. 64. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  14. ^ Wilson, Katherine (7 June 2019). "How Alice Anderson steered women into a new world". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  15. ^ "THE WOMEN'S AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AUSTRALIA". Port Fairy Gazette. 1914–1918.
  16. ^ "PERSONAL". Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 – 1954). 6 August 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Lyceum Club" (in American English). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  18. ^ "The Ladies' and Gentlemen's clubs of Melbourne". @RACV. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Over 100 years of Women in Trades and counting". SALT (in American English). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  20. ^ "About | Alice's Garage" (in Australian English). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  21. ^ "Alice Anderson's Motor Service | Motor Museum". National Motor Museum (in American English). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  22. ^ "2018 Awards of Excellence Winners". Interpretation Australia (in Australian English). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  23. ^ "Alice Elizabeth Foley Anderson". www.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
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