Earlier this year, we proudly unveiled our new mural which was designed and painted by local Adelaide artist Kat Coppock.
Located on the Victoria Street side of the theatre in Goodwood, the mural has been thoughtfully designed to welcome and celebrate our vibrant artistic and historic Unley community and to inspire future generations to interact, ask questions and belong.
From what was a plain beige wall, we think you'll agree that artist Kat has created an absolute masterpiece!
She worked tirelessly night and day over a period of a few weeks to complete the project which was officially launched with a crowd of friends and supporters of the theatre.
The overall aim was to produce a dynamic and contemporary mural that acknowledges the past, present, and emerging artistic communities who work, live, and play in the local area.
Each character in the mural has their own incredible story to tell and it is such an honour to have them celebrated as part of the theatre and our community.
Deborah Elizabeth Jane McCullough; 1939- 2021
A lover of language, and high school teacher, Deborah was a women’s liberationist and was looking to do something useful instead of “going around defining the problem yet again.”. In 1972 she held the first meeting of the Women’s Electoral Lobby in South Australia in her home in July. In 1975 the Premier introduced the first discrimination legislation in Australia (SA Sex Discrimination Act, 1975) and Deborah was appointed to the Sex Discrimination Tribunal holding that post till 1982. During that time she was also the inaugural Women’s Adviser to the Premier of South Australia, Don Dunstan. After realising the extent of systematic misogyny in places of power, she turned to establish what she called alternative services run by women for women, among those the Women’s Information Service, Working Women’s Centre, and Rape Crisis Centre, which were innovations at the time. She was also a member of the Australian Native Title and Reconciliation committee, Reconciliation South Australia, and SA Legal Services Commission, fighting to end discrimination in all forms.
Dorothy Tilbrook; 1900- 1982
Headmistress of Goodwood Primary School. Lead church organist at the Methodist Church (now the Greek Orthodox Church), and piano teacher. Married to Rev Louis Tilbrook and owner of Tilbrook House
Sir Mark Oliphant; 1901 –2000
Sir Oliphant was a physicist and humanitarian who played an important role in the first experimental demonstration of nuclear fusion and in the development of nuclear weapons. After attending Goodwood Primary School, he graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1922 and went on to study at the University of Cambridge where he used a particle accelerator to fire heavy hydrogen atoms at various targets, and discovered the process of nuclear fission. He retired in 1967, but was appointed Governor of South Australia, becoming the first South Australian-born governor in South Australia and assisted in the founding of the Australian Democrats political party.
Bill Youde; 1921-2002
A carpenter by trade, Bill was a lover of musical theatre who put his heart and soul into his companies. He directed, performed, and wrote musicals, built and painted sets, and did all he could to keep the art of musical theatre alive. He founded four arts companies in Adelaide; The South Australian Light Opera Society, the Metropolitan Theatre Company, the Galaxy Musical Society, and “Mayfair Light Opera Society”. In 1968 he reformed the last into the “The Mayfair Theatre Company”, and renovated 166a Goodwood Road from a library and town hall into a fully functional Performing Arts Theatre. His tiered seating, raised staging, and lifted tech box is still being used to this day to create and support grassroots and professional theatre groups of all ages.
Mother Mary MacKillop 1842- 1909
Originally from Victoria, Mary was a founding member of the Order of The Sisters of St Joseph. By 1871 there were 127 sisters teaching in 41 schools around the country as well as managing a large orphanage on Goodwood Road, respite programs for girls in danger, a reformatory, and a home for the aged and incurably ill. A Father Charles Horan convinced then Bishop of Adelaide, Laurence Sheil, that the Josephites' constitution should be changed to follow the nun's vow of poverty and remove any entitlement to owning or renting the land on which these schools were founded. The following day, when MacKillop apparently did not accede to the request, Sheil excommunicated her, citing insubordination as the reason. On his deathbed, Sheil instructed Horan to lift the excommunication on MacKillop, and she was reinstated in her leading duties. After her death in 1909, she was canonised in 2010.
Augusta Zadow 1846-1896
South Australia’s first female inspector of factories, charged with inspecting safe working conditions of women and children in the 1894 Factories Act. An ardent advocate for women workers, she was also a leading trade unionist, philanthropist, and suffragist. She assessed factories, workshops, and dressmaking businesses in both the city and suburbs, often receiving complaints and abuse from employers but remained unfazed despite being only a little over 4ft in height.
Augusta's dedication and hard work took its toll on her health. Having taken no leave and whilst compiling a report on the Factories Act she contracted influenza in 1895 and died a few weeks shy of her 50th birthday.
Our Sincere Thanks
We cannot express enough our gratitude firstly to Kat Koppock without whom the mural simply wouldn't exist. She poured her heart and soul into the research, design, and painting which gives both Chris and I and our community with so much joy.
Special thanks also to The Sandy's Memorial Trust, and The Goodwood Road Associations for their generous financial support which has made the mural possible.