Her parents were Mary Louisa (born Ikin) and her husband George Arthur Turner who worked in a bank.

[1] In 1924 she came to notice when she was appointed as an experienced primary teacher to lead the new Girls' Welfare School.

The girls learned primarily about domestic science and there was no stated attempt to made them independent,[3] but Turner was noted for emphasising self-reliance.

[1] By 1930 there were 22 girls in the school which had moved to Mather House in Murray Street in Hobart.

[3] Its building in Hampden Road was destroyed by a fire in 1970[5] but the Dora Turner School had moved to new premises in 1969.