Dorothy (Billie) Greening was born on 13 April 1917 in Sydney. Her father was a confectioner, and she had one brother and three sisters. The family moved to Glen Innes, where she gained her leaving certificate and topped the class. Billie trained as a nurse at Prince Henry Hospital in Sydney and studied midwifery at Crown Street Women’s Hospital. In 1943, she joined the Australian Army Nursing Service, serving in Tripoli, Crete, Borneo and Singapore.
After the war, Billie studied medicine at the University of Sydney. On graduating in 1956, she became a resident medical officer at Sydney Hospital and joined the Army Reserve. She then trained in obstetrics and gynaecology at Crown Street Women’s Hospital, where she worked as a midwifery sister to fund her studies. Her fellow trainees were surprised to see her take a place at the senior sister’s table during tea break.
