Thelma Afford

Thelma Thomas
Born	1908 Broken Hill, New South Wales
Died	1996 Sydney)
Alma mater	Presbyterian Girls' College
Known for	costume designer, theatre performer, and fashion journalist
Spouse(s)	Max Afford

Thelma Afford (born 1908 in Broken Hill, New South Wales, died 1996 in Sydney) was an Australian costume designer, theatre performer, and fashion journalist who worked in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Afford was born Thelma Thomas in Broken Hill to William James Thomas and Ethel (née Henderson) in 1908. Her parents moved to Adelaide, where she attended the Presbyterian Girls' College, Glen Osmond. There she studied drawing and design, and became an art teacher at the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts. She acted between 1932 and 1934, then moved to Melbourne in 1934 to further study at Technical College.

Max Afford and Thelma met when she was designing the costumes for his play Awake my Love performed at the Adelaide Tivoli Theatre, that won the centenary competition in 1936. The following year, Max was called to Sydney to work for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Thelma moved to Sydney too to work for the sesqui-centenary celebrations. They married on 16 April 1938 at St Michael's church, Vaucluse, Sydney. They had no children.

After Max's death in 1954, Thelma remained in Sydney where she lived until her death in 1996.

At her death, Thelma left instructions to establish a fund with The Trust company for the attribution of an annual $10,000 "Max Afford Playwrights' Award" and a $7,500 "Thelma Afford Theatre, Stage, TV or Film Costume Design Award".

In the early 1930s, Thelma Thomas was an actress in Adelaide, collaborating notably with the Ab-Intra Studio Theatre for Woman Song, The Robe of Yama, The Stained-Glass Window, and The Aspen Tree in 1932. In 1935, Thelma joined the Ab-Intra for their last show Archway Motif before the theatre closed indefinitely.

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