[1] She was a child actress under the name "Kitty Brownbill", making her debut on stage at the age of six, but gave up the theatre after injuring an ankle while dancing.

Her plays were distributed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and aired in Canada, New Zealand, India and South Africa.

Her play "Sleep to Wake" – about Colonel William Light – won second prize in a competition run by The Advertiser and was performed at the celebrations marking the centenary of South Australia in 1938.

[6] Brownbill was active in the Liberal and Country League of South Australia, and first stood for the House of Representatives at the 1963 federal election.

[8] At the time of her election she was the only South Australian woman in federal parliament, but she was joined by Senator Nancy Buttfield in July 1968.

[8] Her speeches showed "a keen interest in aircraft noise, foreign policy, social welfare reform and education".