Totem Theatre Complex, Alice Springs

The Totem Theatre Complex includes two WWII Sidney Williams Huts, a Wride & Abley shed and ablutions facility. The WWII structures functioned as part of the military Regimental Aid Post & Dental Clinic. These buildings are of particular significance as the last surviving in-situ physical evidence associated with the Anzac Hill Camp, Darwin Overland Maintenance Force (DOMF) and subsequent transport units. They are a reminder of the impact of WWII upon Alice Springs and the vital role the town and these units played as the command centre of the convoy system for the transport of personnel and supplies to the north. Collectively, the buildings have historic and social value for their associations with the post-war social and cultural development of Alice Springs, in particular the Alice Springs Theatre Group. The buildings derive some significance from their associations with members of the theatre group who made an important contribution to the Territory: Agnes East; and Mona Greatorex. Despite some alterations to suit their function as a theatre venue, the Sidney Williams huts retain a substantial amount of their original fabric, including the fixings, and are good examples of this type of WWII structure.