Lesbian Icon Helen Bock Named First-Ever Inductee to SA Pride Hall of Fame

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’s recognition is more than symbolic — 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 — 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’s 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.’

“I was truly honoured to be approached by Pride Adelaide and to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Helen. “As an out and proud Lesbian all my adult life, recognition of caring for and sharing with my community is humbling.”

Indeed, Helen Bock’s name resonates through generations of queer South Australians.

“Helen is one of the foundational figures of our movement in South Australia,” said Pride Adelaide chairperson Dave Newman, in a statement.

“She 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’s in this milestone year.”

From candlelit living rooms to festival stages, Bock’s 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 is now a beloved institution — and it began with Bock and a vision.

A passionate musician and arts lover, Bock also played a central role in initiatives like Women’s Theatre, The Sweethearts of Swing, and The Fabulous Semaphore Guitar — projects that used music and performance as rallying cries for belonging and celebration.

“Music and the Arts are one of the best ways to bring us together,” she said. “It 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.”

Her influence, however, goes far beyond the marquee events. Helen also played a vital role in the community’s 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’s premiere gathering of LGBTQIA+ excellence. It’s a fitting stage for Bock’s formal recognition, shared with fellow inaugural inductees Ian Purcell AM and Vonni — each legends in their own right. The evening promises to be rich with reflection and joy, not least because Bock’s 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 — 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 via Pride Adelaide.