At the age of 16, she met and married Edward Connor (O'Connor), an English-born labourer, with the couple eloping to Melbourne, Australia.

Later that year, she began working for the police force, investigating illegal gambling and residing undercover in a boarding house to gather evidence against a notorious criminal.

[2] Due to a quirk of police regulations, Connor lost her senior status in the force and was considered a junior officer.

She was forced to retire on 14 November 1929, and was ineligible for a police pension as she had not served the requisite fifteen years as a sworn officer, so she utilised her detective skills as a private investigator.

[citation needed] Connor died on 12 October 1952 at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne,[3] and was buried at Boroondara General Cemetery in Kew.