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The Burley Griffin Incinerator Ipswich: a retrospective and its adaptive reuse
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TitleThe Burley Griffin Incinerator Ipswich: a retrospective and its adaptive reuseDate Created20th October 2020Program Chasing Our Past At HomePresenterHelen PullarIan PullarHostMelanie RushModeratorDeannah VeithAcknowledgementIpswich Little TheatreIan Pullar Helen PullarIpswich LibrariesPicture IpswichGeo Coordinates [1] DescriptionThe Incinerator in Queens Park, Ipswich is the only building in Queensland designed by Walter Burley Griffin, the renowned architect of our national capital, Canberra.
How did there come to be such a building in Ipswich? How was it used and why was that use discontinued? What could be done with such an iconic building to save it from demolition? The solution was for it to be converted to a theatre by Ipswich Little Theatre Society, for whom it has now been home for 51 years.
Join Helen and Ian Pullar as they describe the advent of the building, the continued adaptation, the activities in the Incinerator Theatre complex by Ipswich Little Theatre and its sub-groups and the importance of the entity in the cultural life of the city.
About Helen and Ian Pullar
The Pullars joined Ipswich Little Theatre (ILT) in January 1967. Their arrival coincided with the campaign to save the historic Incinerator from destruction and the need for ILT to find a new home as the council had resolved to close the Town Hall which had been the Society’s performance venue for 20 years. As a recently graduated Civil Engineer, Ian was responsible for the original conversion of the building to a theatre and has served on the Building Committee since its inception, nearly thirty years as Chair. Helen now chairs the Building Committee, so both have been instrumental in the continued development of the venue.
In addition, both have been heavily involved in virtually all aspects of the Society’s activities as actors, directors, writers, set designers and builders, stage managers, Festival Directors, historians, archivists and members of numerous committees. Both are former Presidents and Honorary Life Members. Helen, a former teacher of Drama at Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, has been Secretary for the past 16 years.References (online)Click here for high resolutionReference ID2020-10-20 COPAH - Incinerator Theatre - Helen & Ian PullarAsset TypeWebinar / Talk - MP4Music, Audio and Video (Trove mapping field)lectureRecording Length1:03:35Copyright NoticeThis licence lets you download, redistribute, translate, and remix the work, for NON-COMMERCIAL purposes only.
In return, you MUST always acknowledge the original creator of the work (photographer, studio, author, etc.) and acknowledge Picture Ipswich as your source of the work.
All derivatives of this work MUST be shared under the same Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license.
If you require a higher resolution copy of this work, please contact Picture Ipswich.CopyrightPicture Ipswich Copyright InformationBuildings & StructuresWalter Burley Griffin Incinerator (former)Community GroupsIpswich Little TheatrePeople & FamiliesMarion Mahony Griffin (1871-1961)George Brockwell Gill (1857-1954)John BoadleLeonard KanevskyPlacesQueens ParkSubjectsPerforming artsTheatre groupsStagesActorsPerformersTheatrical productionsAudiencesIncineratorsTheatres TranscriptionThe Burley Griffin Incinerator IpswichCurated CollectionsPerforming ArtsArchitectureChasing Our Past At HomeDefining Tulmur | IpswichAdversity & Resilience: Infrastructure & UtilitiesDreaming of Tomorrow: Entertainment & The ArtsExpanding Horizons: Entertainment & The ArtsAdapting To Change: Entertainment & The Arts
How did there come to be such a building in Ipswich? How was it used and why was that use discontinued? What could be done with such an iconic building to save it from demolition? The solution was for it to be converted to a theatre by Ipswich Little Theatre Society, for whom it has now been home for 51 years.
Join Helen and Ian Pullar as they describe the advent of the building, the continued adaptation, the activities in the Incinerator Theatre complex by Ipswich Little Theatre and its sub-groups and the importance of the entity in the cultural life of the city.
About Helen and Ian Pullar
The Pullars joined Ipswich Little Theatre (ILT) in January 1967. Their arrival coincided with the campaign to save the historic Incinerator from destruction and the need for ILT to find a new home as the council had resolved to close the Town Hall which had been the Society’s performance venue for 20 years. As a recently graduated Civil Engineer, Ian was responsible for the original conversion of the building to a theatre and has served on the Building Committee since its inception, nearly thirty years as Chair. Helen now chairs the Building Committee, so both have been instrumental in the continued development of the venue.
In addition, both have been heavily involved in virtually all aspects of the Society’s activities as actors, directors, writers, set designers and builders, stage managers, Festival Directors, historians, archivists and members of numerous committees. Both are former Presidents and Honorary Life Members. Helen, a former teacher of Drama at Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, has been Secretary for the past 16 years.References (online)Click here for high resolutionReference ID2020-10-20 COPAH - Incinerator Theatre - Helen & Ian PullarAsset TypeWebinar / Talk - MP4Music, Audio and Video (Trove mapping field)lectureRecording Length1:03:35Copyright NoticeThis licence lets you download, redistribute, translate, and remix the work, for NON-COMMERCIAL purposes only.
In return, you MUST always acknowledge the original creator of the work (photographer, studio, author, etc.) and acknowledge Picture Ipswich as your source of the work.
All derivatives of this work MUST be shared under the same Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license.
If you require a higher resolution copy of this work, please contact Picture Ipswich.CopyrightPicture Ipswich Copyright InformationBuildings & StructuresWalter Burley Griffin Incinerator (former)Community GroupsIpswich Little TheatrePeople & FamiliesMarion Mahony Griffin (1871-1961)George Brockwell Gill (1857-1954)John BoadleLeonard KanevskyPlacesQueens ParkSubjectsPerforming artsTheatre groupsStagesActorsPerformersTheatrical productionsAudiencesIncineratorsTheatres TranscriptionThe Burley Griffin Incinerator IpswichCurated CollectionsPerforming ArtsArchitectureChasing Our Past At HomeDefining Tulmur | IpswichAdversity & Resilience: Infrastructure & UtilitiesDreaming of Tomorrow: Entertainment & The ArtsExpanding Horizons: Entertainment & The ArtsAdapting To Change: Entertainment & The Arts
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Buildings & StructuresCommunity GroupsPlacesCurated CollectionsDefining Tulmur | Ipswich
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike Australian License
This licence lets you download, redistribute, translate, and remix the work, for NON-COMMERCIAL purposes only.
In return, you MUST always acknowledge the original creator of the work (photographer, studio, author, etc.) and acknowledge Picture Ipswich as your source of the work.
All derivatives of this work MUST be shared under the same Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license.
If you require a higher resolution copy of this work, please contact Picture Ipswich.
The Burley Griffin Incinerator Ipswich: a retrospective and its adaptive reuse. Picture Ipswich, accessed 13/09/2026, https://www.pictureipswich.com.au/nodes/view/2538