 She enlisted as a nursing Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) during the Second World War, serving from 17 March 1943 to 14 July 1944.Later, she was the first female to be articled as a radio officer when she worked on an Australian merchant ship from 1954–1960.She then lived in Hobart, Tasmania, from 1960 to 1967, where she worked as an Adult Education Officer.