Anne Miller put Mary Poppins on the map for Maryborough

The woman who was the ‘driving force’ behind turning Mary Poppins into a tourism drawcard for the Queensland city of Maryborough has been remembered as an inspiration following her death.

Proud Mary's founder Anne Miller with the Mary Poppins statue on the corner of Richmond and Kent Sts in Maryborough.

Tributes have flowed for the woman who was the “driving force” behind putting Mary Poppins on the map for Maryborough.

Anne Miller, 83, is being remembered as a determined, energetic and visionary woman after dying peacefully in her sleep on Friday night, August 18, 2023.

Mrs Miller was a Maryborough City councillor under the late Alan Brown’s mayoralty.

On learning that Mary Poppins author P. L. (Pamela) Travers was born in Maryborough in the bank building where her father was manager, Mrs Miller set out to turn the connection into an asset that would help revitalise the city.

In the following years the annual Mary Poppins Festival was created and a literary competition established.

The Fraser Coast Regional Council bought the former bank building, turning it into a world-class museum, and installed Poppins lights at pedestrian crossings.

Co-founder of the Proud Marys Ann O’Loughlin said the loss of Mrs Miller was sad for the city she loved.

Mary Poppins Literary Awards – Harriet, 4, and Alfie, 7, Ratchford with their great grandmother Anne Miller at the Maryborough Library.

“She had the contacts and enthusiasm to get the Mary Poppins link turned into a great asset and she did it quite quickly.

“She set up links with Travers’ legacy, the Cherry Tree Lane Trust, and arranged for them to sponsor our annual literary competition.

“She was also in contact with Mary Poppins’ musical producer Sir Cameron McIntosh and with Patricia Feltham, a close friend of Travers, who visited us in Maryborough.”

Mrs O’Loughlin said the Proud Marys had evolved two years ago into Mary Inc, an organisation taking the promotion of the inner city to a broader scale envisaged by Mrs Miller when she embraced the Mary Poppins’ vision almost 25 years ago.

Mary Inc president Jacqui Elson-Green said Mrs Miller had left Maryborough with an invaluable legacy that would help the city prosper.

Anne Miller with Mary Poppins’ statue in Richmond St. Pic Glenn Barnes

“The CityPoppins committee is one of the cornerstones of Mary Inc we are proud to nourish,” she said.

Former Chronicle editor Nancy Bates, patron of the Proud Marys and now vice president of Mary Inc, said she could see the potential in the Poppins connection when Mrs Miller first raised it with her.

“I was in a position to support Anne strongly against a bit of male antipathy – Mary Poppins might have been the world’s most famous nanny but the male councillors and other men tended to roll their eyes.

“It just wasn’t a blokey thing but Anne was brilliantly unfazed and persistent. Soon Alan Brown saw the light, we campaigned to raise the money for the statue and it all started to happen.

“We have a lot more mileage left in Mary Poppins for Maryborough and Anne was happy to see that and other ventures in the city heart starting to happen under the new format of Mary Inc.”