Kate and her friend Alice Tibbits were influenced by Anglican community nurse Sister Dora (Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison) who cared for injured miners.

[1] Alice and Kate began nursing and training at the newly opened Adelaide Children's Hospital.

During the 1890s the hospital enjoyed fundraising and it opened a new wing funded by the philanthropist John Howard Angas.

[5] Under their leadership, it became the first private training hospital for nurses in the colony, and later state, of South Australia.

A. Lendon founded the South Australia branch of the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association.