Lesbian Icon Helen Bock Named First-Ever Inductee to SA Pride Hall of Fame
Image: Photos: via Pride Adelaide.
Adelaide’s LGBTQIA+ community has etched a new chapter in its proud history, with Helen Bock being announced as the first-ever inductee into the South Australian Pride Hall of Fame.
A pioneer, activist, musician, beloved community elder, and one of the co-founders of Adelaide’s Feast Festival, Bock鈥檚 recognition is more than symbolic 鈥� it is a celebration of a beautifully sapphic life lived unapologetically.
The honour will be formally bestowed at the 2025 South Australian Pride Gala on June 27 鈥� which also marks 50 years since South Australia became the first state to decriminalise homosexuality.
Helen Bock: a trailblazer for lesbian and queer rights in South Australia
‘A cultural architect, activist, and fierce community advocate, Helen鈥檚 journey began during the radical momentum of the 1970s lesbian feminist movement,’ reads a statement from Pride Adelaide. ‘She stood tall at a time when visibility was protest, helping shape spaces where women could gather, organise, and celebrate their identity.’
鈥淚 was truly honoured to be approached by Pride Adelaide and to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,鈥� said Helen. 鈥淎s an out and proud Lesbian all my adult life, recognition of caring for and sharing with my community is humbling.鈥�
Indeed, Helen Bock鈥檚 name resonates through generations of queer South Australians.
鈥淗elen is one of the foundational figures of our movement in South Australia,鈥� said Pride Adelaide chairperson Dave Newman, in a statement.
鈥淪he has never chased recognition, but her work has created it for others. Her leadership made space for future generations to live more proudly, more loudly, and more freely. It is only fitting that we honour her, even more special that it鈥檚 in this milestone year.鈥�
From candlelit living rooms to festival stages, Bock鈥檚 journey has been one of community-building in the truest sense. In 1997, she co-founded the Feast Festival, a dazzling cultural platform that became the beating heart of queer expression in South Australia. With its mix of performance, politics, and pageantry, Feast聽is now a beloved institution 鈥� and it began with Bock and a vision.
A passionate musician and arts lover, Bock also played a central role in initiatives like Women鈥檚 Theatre, The Sweethearts of Swing, and The Fabulous Semaphore Guitar 鈥� projects that used music and performance as rallying cries for belonging and celebration.
鈥淢usic and the Arts are one of the best ways to bring us together,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t has always been important to me to stand up and be counted, and to provide opportunities for our community to come together, connect and celebrate.鈥�
Her influence, however, goes far beyond the marquee events. Helen also played a vital role in the community鈥檚 HIV/AIDS response, supporting fundraisers and events that brought awareness, resources, and compassion during a time of great stigma and isolation.
The South Australian Pride Gala
The Pride Gala, where her induction will be celebrated, is now in its second year and serves as Adelaide鈥檚 premiere gathering of LGBTQIA+ excellence. It鈥檚 a fitting stage for Bock鈥檚 formal recognition, shared with fellow inaugural inductees Ian Purcell AM and Vonni 鈥� each legends in their own right. The evening promises to be rich with reflection and joy, not least because Bock鈥檚 story is woven into the very fabric of South Australian queer identity.
It is no small thing to be the first name carved into a Hall of Fame 鈥� to set the tone for how a community remembers and honours its own. Helen Bock, with her warmth, strength, and unwavering dedication to her community, is a very fitting first inductee.
You can learn more about the South Australian Pride Gala and the South Australian Pride Hall of Fame .
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