Mary arrived in the ACT from the Northern Territory in 1977. Prior to this she was working as a volunteer Nursing Sister in remote parts of the Northern Territory for 12 years. She was a founding member of Tuggeranong Community Service (a regional community service in one of the ACT’s town centre regions, now known as “Communities at Work”.), and employed with that organisation as the Manager of its Community Service Department until 1992.In 1992 she joined the staff of a Federal Minister for a 12 month period. She was founding member of Volunteering Association in 1986, and was employed by that organisation, now Volunteering ACT, as CEO after it gained initial funding in 1993 until October 2004

Mary has sat on a considerable number of Boards & Committees including the ACT Chief Minister’s former Health Advisory Board, the ACT Govt. Joint Community/Government Reference Group and the Community Engagement Strategy Committee. She was influential in achieving a Social COMPACT between the Community Sector and the ACT Government. She is a former President of ACTCOSS, a member of the Board of ACOSS and is a member of the Social Developers Network and Ned-net Board.

Since her arrival in the ACT Mary has been involved in the support and the resourcing of volunteer effort and is a former President of Volunteering Australia, and former National Representative to the International Association of Volunteer Effort. She was recently awarded an AM and a Centenary medal for services to volunteering in Australia., She was Nominated in 2003 for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the ACT’s Social and Community category and has been named as an honorary Ambassador for the ACT.

Mary enjoys training and education in the volunteering profession and has built up a considerable level of expertise in this area, has gained training and assessor qualifications and has completed two bodies of research in this area in the recent past. Her most recent body of work was in the area of managing “spontaneous” volunteers in times of emergency.

Mary has a passionate belief in the power of people to make a difference and to create a more just and equitable society. She believes that by working together much can be achieved. Mary's focus of interest is alternative justice systems such as restorative justice; the support of youth people thorough more education and employment options, mental health, older people's health, welfare, care and accommodation and the way our society can provide opportunities for all to participate in the community.

Mary was elected to ACT Legislative Assembly as the Member for Ginninderra in October 2004.

Mary now serves the Government on several Assembly Standing Committees being Chair of Education, Training and Young People Committee, Deputy Chair of Health and Disability and a member of the Standing Committee on Planning and the Environment. Mary is also Deputy Chair of the Select Committee on Working Families and sits on the Assembly Arts Advisory Committee. She sat on the Select Committee for Estimates for 2005/6 and 2007/08 and was Chair of Estimates for 2006/7.

Mary is the ACT Patron of the Canberra and Region Amateur Theatre Awards and also Patron of the West Belconnen Community Health Centre Committees AXIS Registered Training Organisation.

Mary is a keen reader and poet and has published a short book of poems. She is the mother of 3 adult children and 2 adult stepchildren, and the grandmother to 8 children. She was born in UK where, as a child, she served as a volunteer for the UK Red Cross, before arriving in Australia at the age of 12 years. She has been involved in Community work all her working life.