Viola Brown was born at Pindima, near Soldier's Point. She is a member of the Ridgeway family. After learning to cook for her family at the age of nine, Brown went to work in a boat shed, as a house cleaner, and picking beans, before beginning a career in hospitality working in and eventually managing a number of hotels around the country while her husband was in the air force.
After returning to Nowra in 1989, Brown began working on planning committees for the council, teaching younger generations about conservation of culture, and fighting for preservation.
