Albany 2026: City of Albany Freeman Alice Rule says bicentenary a perfect time to show off Albany’s splendour

For Alice Rule, Albany’s bicentenary year is an opportunity to show off the port city in all its glory.

At 87 years old, Ms Rule remains one of Albany’s most passionate and big-hearted advocates, having spent all of the 74 years she has lived in the city volunteering in a host of organisations and humbly receiving a stash of accolades for her commitment to Albany’s betterment.

“There’s just something special about Albany; there’s honestly little I can say against it,” she said.

“I’m quite excited for the bicentenary, and we have so much for visitors to see and enjoy, and things like Lighting the Sound, which are going to draw plenty of people.”

Ms Rule was named a Freeman of the City of Albany in 2019, the highest honour a local government can bestow.

She, alongside former decorated police officer Terry Eaton, was chosen for her years of dedication to the Albany community.

Ms Rule was born in Kalgoorlie and moved to Albany when she was 13 years old.

She said the city immediately captured her heart.

“I love Albany, and I have loved it more all of the 70-plus years I’ve lived here,” she said.

“When I moved here in 1952, there were only just over 8000 people living here.

“There was no Bayonet Head, only half a dozen houses at Lower King, Kalgan Heights didn’t exist either, and the whaling station had just opened.

“I have seen the city change so much in the time that I’ve lived here, and certainly a lot of growth, but it’s still such a fantastic place to live.”

In 2017, Ms Rule was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her 60 years of volunteering.

The following year, she was selected to represent Albany in the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games, held in 2018 on the Gold Coast.

Ms Rule is also a well-known part of Albany’s sporting community: she was the first life member of the Albany Women’s Hockey Association — now part of the Lower Great Southern Hockey Association — and the first female life member of the North Albany Football Club.

Every year the A-grade women of the LGSHA compete for the Kevin and Alice Rule Perpetual Shield, a nod to the pair’s decades of volunteer work with local hockey clubs.

She has sat on the panel of the Sportsperson of the Year awards since the 1970s, and received the Great Southern Service to Sport award in 2024.

She has also become a champion of keeping Albany ship-shape over the past 50 years, having first founded and then continued to run the volunteer group Keep Albany Beautiful for 48 years.

Ms Rule said she hopes everyone who visits Albany for the 2026 bicentenary takes the time to explore and get to know the city while they are here, and take in some of the natural, cultural and historical sites that make Albany so unique.

“I would tell people to get out along the coast, there are so many spectacular beaches around Albany,” she said.

I say go up the hill at Mt Clarence and see the Light Horse memorial at the top, then come down and block out a few hours to go through the National Anzac Centre because that’s such a significant thing for Albany, being the last place those men left

“There are so many special places, and so much to love about Albany, I’m excited for people to see it and celebrate it as we mark 200 years.”