Poole was born in Frankfurt, Germany on 29 December 1924 to Polish migrants Hinde and Nachman Auerbach.

Her father was brutally beaten in a Nazi street demonstration against Jews in 1932,[1][3] and thus began a years-long struggle to migrate the family to Palestine.

Following in the footsteps of many of her older siblings, Poole enlisted in the British Eighth Army as a driver in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, lying about her age on the enrolment form.

Though she had occasionally been called Eve in the past, she started going exclusively by this name to avoid confusion with Vernon's sister Eva.

[9] Throughout the 1950s and 1960s she grew her public profile as an actor and producer with the Invercargill Repertory Society, including such plays as The Rose Without a Thorn, The Shifting Heart, All My Sons, Dangerous Corner, The Potting Shed, and The Miracle Worker.

[10] While she largely remained neutral on matters of national politics, she was publicly critical of the Rogernomics of the Fourth Labour Government, leading multiple Southland Federated Farmers marches, one of which resulted in Under-Secretary of Finance Trevor de Cleene being pelted with eggs and tomatoes thrown by protestors.

[4] Poole initially intended to retire at the 1992 election, following the death of her daughter Helen in February, however she announced in July that she would run for a fourth term.

[10] It was a close race with deputy mayor Bruce Pagan and councillor Mirek Cvigr, with Poole winning with only 37.86% of the vote.

[20] Only a month after being elected to a fourth term, Poole was admitted to Dunedin Hospital on 25 November 1992 due to severe back pain.

Treatment was unsuccessful, and after developing peritonitis when her bowel was perforated during a biopsy, she died on the morning of 26 December 1992 at the age of 67.