Good morning!
Can’t remember the last time I was in an op shop…
Wait - I can. It was about a month ago when I was dropping off some unwanted stuff. It was in the middle of man’s greatest self-inflicted injury (moving house).
I hunted down this story on the ABC News website after first seeing it on the TV News. Yes I still watch the TV news most nights… call me old fashioned.
In 1925, Lady Millie Tallis was known more for her performances on stage than for philanthropy.
Archivist Barbara Cytowicz from St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne describes her this way: “She performed in musical theatre and as a comic actress … She was an actress and comic opera favourite.”
But instead of chasing applause, Millie turned her creative energy toward her community.
In the working-class suburb of Fitzroy (here in Melbourne), Millie spotted an opportunity.
An abandoned building was sitting empty, and she saw the potential to turn it into something meaningful. “She thought up the idea of a pop-up store selling second-hand items to raise funds for the hospital as part of a major appeal.”
This wasn’t a pile of old clothes like the American style Thrift Shops. It was a curated experience before that term existed.
“Goods were sent in from warehouses, shopkeepers and the general public … artworks, ornaments, books, furniture, bedding, clothing, kitchen and gardening utensils — and even a motorcycle. … Even fresh produce — jams, jellies and farm produce. It really was a one-stop shop.”
When the doors opened in 1925, more than 10,000 items were for sale. The response was immediate.
Within three hours they’d raised £300, and by the end of nine weeks they’d made £2,000 — enough to buy a couple of houses at the time.
That first shop didn’t just raise funds; it redefined what giving could look like. A century later, Australia has more than 3,000 op shops, and the movement continues to shape how we think about reuse and community.
Liz Randle from the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) in Victoria says:
“It’s important environmentally … It’s important socially because it performs the equivalent of 6,500 full-time jobs. … Economically, it’s important, because $184 million goes into social programs.” Today, donations range from clothes and furniture to caravans and forklifts. “A lot has changed since 1925,” Randle says, “but in essence it is the same.”
One woman’s fundraiser became a national tradition.
Value can be reinvented — Lady Millie Tallis reframed “second-hand” as “second chance.” And community, as it turns out, is the original circular economy.
Next time you step into an op shop you may find a pair of my old Jeans or a doona cover that has been outgrown by one of my kids.
But I hope you’ll also think of Lady Millie Tallis — the woman who made generosity a part of Australian culture.
See you in the morning,
Wade