[1] Born in Kyneton, Victoria, Australia, Lyons trained in general nursing at the Alfred Hospital.
Lyons was a founding member of the Royal Victorian Trained Nurses Association (RVTNA), created in 1901.
She stayed with the organization for twenty years, advocating for nurses as private hospitals continued to take advantage of them.
While in France, she studied chiropody and upon returning to Australia she established a private practice in the specialty.
[3] In 1914, Lyons and her colleague Maud Primrose created the Society for the Health of Women and Children.
It was based in the former home and medical residence of a man named Dr. Edward Bonaventure Heffernan.
[9] The letter included information pertaining to the fees she charged for foot pain treatment.
In 1922, Lyons traveled to the United States with the intent of comparing the working conditions of nurses between the US and Australia.
She noted the difference in fashion, appreciating the lack of boned corsets and high-heeled shoes.