Her elder sister was already in Australia[1] as she was the second wife of the politician and brewer John Toohey.
[3] The year before war broke out the Australian branch of the British Red Cross Society created their New South Wales division and Mary Langer Owen persuaded her golfing friend Egan[4] to become a founding (and life-long) member of its executive.
The following year war broke out in Europe and Egan became the division's delegate to the central council.
Egan linked this with her Red Cross role and she involved aboriginal and people with disabilities in the valuable work.
In 1941 the archbishop decided to take a stronger interest in the Catholic Women's Association and Egan resigned.