[4] Prior to her political career Kirkby worked in the entertainment arts, having started as an Assistant stage manager in her native England in 1938 before becoming an actress in theatre, radio, television and film productions.

[3] after working for some years in England, starting her career, she relocated to British Malaya in 1950, after her husband was offered a medical position there, and noting the lack of theatre, served instead as a radio broadcaster, producer, director and screenwriter.

Kirkby appeared in telemovies in her native United Kingdom including Mr. Bolfrey and the televised play Love from a Stranger, based on a stage production written by Frank Vosper from a novel by Agatha Christie.

He based her and her husband Alf Sutcliffe (played by James Elliott) after his own parents from Lancashire, England, even naming the character of Lucy after his mother.

"The only difference," said Sale, "was my parents from native England loved Australia, so to make it a little interesting we would have the character of Alf, as the typical whinging Pommy, who was also longing to return to the United Kingdom, despite Lucy's disapproval.

[7] After Number 96 Kirkby went into a theatre run in Melbourne, appearing in The Jockey Club Stakes alongside Robert Coote and Wilfrid Hyde White in late 1975.

Kirkby entered politics joining the Australian Democrats in 1979, she was residing in Martinsville at that time in the NSW Hunter Valley region, after she was suggested by her friend and co-star Sheila Kennelly, a longtime resident who had a farm in that area, that she purchase a property there, After relocating there she ran for the local parliament seat for the Hunter Valley, with a publicity campaign using her Number 96 role as the basis, stating there are "96's reasons to vote for Liz", she lost the seat attaining 13% of votes, but was subsequently elected to the New South Wales legislative council in 1981, as the New South Wales state leader.