[1] She managed two hairdressing salons in Coffs Harbour before, at the age of nineteen, deciding to learn how to fly aircraft.
She took lessons at the Coffs Harbour branch of the Newcastle Aero Club before moving to Tamworth to gain experience on a wider variety of aircraft.
[9] Unable to find employment in Australia, in 1952 on the recommendation of her brother, Graham started working as a trainee pilot for Gibbes Sepik Airways in Papua New Guinea, a bush airline founded by Royal Australian Air Force ace Bobby Gibbes.
[10][11][12] The airline carried cargo and passengers around the country, and Graham initially flew Lockheed L-18s, later progressing to the role of captain on Noorduyn Norseman aircraft.
In 2015 she was a special guest at the 65th anniversary celebrations of the Australian Women Pilots’ Association and Archerfield Airport’s first Brisbane Open House.