At fourteen, he moved with his family to Petersham, a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, and attended Newington College from 1883 to 1885.

During this period the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney held classes in architecture, and it is likely that Monks attended these with contemporaries such as Henry Budden.

[5] Monks returned to Wagga in 1890 and opened an office in space provided by his father at the Pastoral Hotel.

His domestic designs were in the Federation Bungalow style (asymmetrical, single storey, verandahs, detailed roof, exposed rafters, casement windows) with a strong national identity.

He was involved with the School of Arts and the Murrumbidgee Pastoral and Agricultural Association and enjoyed hunting, shooting and fishing.