Fearless Alice Anderson and her all-girl garage

The story of an Austin-driving Australian maverick who died in mysterious circumstances (R)Alice was a quintessential, mould-breaking young woman of the roaring twenties.Raised in country Victoria, she was capable and confident, and not interested in what was considered proper.Alice opened a motor touring company in Melbourne during the first world war.The business grew and by the 1920s Miss Anderson's Motor Service included a mechanic's shop, staffed entirely by young women known as 'garage girls'.Loretta Smith has spent a decade researching the story of Alice's life and tragic early death.To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.Further informationA Spanner in the Works: the extraordinary story of Alice Anderson and Australia's first all-girl garage is published by HachetteYou can visit the recreation of Alice Anderson's garage at the National Motor Museum in South Australia