[3] She had no formal high school education and instead gained much of her knowledge from seeking out the insight of government and private figures.
Their extended family of activists included Sir Douglas Nicholls and Jack Patten.
[5] Wirrpanda became an officer of the National Council of Aboriginal and Islander Women when it formed in 1972, and was a co-founder of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service that same year,[2] along with Alma Thorpe, Bruce McGuinness, and others.
She spent her later years as a plaintiff representing the Yorta Yorta Tribal Council, in court cases related to native title claims; and as convener of the Victorian Aboriginal Women's Congress.
She continued to support the tribe in legal proceedings with the Federal Court between 1996 and 2002, and was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2003.