ACT Heritage Library Manuscript Collections

HMSS 0552 Canberra Roller Derby League Poster Collection

The Canberra Roller Derby League (CRDL) was established in 2008 as a volunteer organisation intended to promote roller derby, women's health and sport in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The league was created by Bullseye Betty (Kate Murphy) and Dr Hell (Helen Doyle). Other early members include Roulette Rouge (Lucy Quinn) and Peachy Keen. The league was intended to resemble the burlesque, and was the first roller derby league in the ACT.

The league's first practices took place in parking lots around the Territory, and at the start of its first season, the league had 26 skaters playing on two teams: the Black N Blue Belles and the Surly Griffins. The first public bout in 2009 took place at Southern Cross Stadium, Tuggeranong before a sell-out crowd. In 2010, the league expanded to 100 players on four teams with the addition of the Red Bellied Black Hearts and the Brindabelters. An all-star team called the Vice City Rollers was also established to compete in interstate bouts against teams from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The presence of the league in Canberra has helped change the perception of roller derby in the capital from an entertaining sideshow to a mainstream women's participation sport. The popularity of roller derby in Canberra has meant that the CRDL cannot accommodate all the women in Canberra who want to participate. To address this issue, in 2011, some roller derby enthusiasts worked on starting a new league as a student organisation at Australian National University.

The collection is made up of 40 posters (some duplicates) dating from 2008 to 2018. Almost all were designed by local Canberra artist Ed Radclyffe.