Beverley Manton, nee Simms, was born at Crown Street Women's Hospital in 1948 and was raised on the Aboriginal Reserve at Karuah. Her biological father was John (Jack) Simms from Ullugundy Island but Beverley was raised by her stepfather Fred Ridgeway. Her grandfather Simms made and sold artefacts at La Perouse and her grandmother was a champion sculler on the Clarence River at Grafton in 1936 and 1937 and won two trophies. Her brother is Eric Simms, the footballer who played for South Sydney in the 1960s/70s. Beverley's mother was Gwendoline May Cook (aka Gwendoline Ping). For ten years Beverley was the Senior Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Programs Branch in the Department of Employment, Education and Training, before leaving to manage the Karuah Local Aboriginal Land Council.
