Joan was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, UK, but soon moved to Coventry where her father was a manager for Boots the Chemists. She grew up knowing the blitz of the second world war, as Coventry was a target of Hitler's bombs. The family moved back to Ilkeston when she was 10 and she lived there until she married Melvyn. After the birth of their two children Joan stayed at home with them until the youngest was five, then she started part time work. Later she moved to full time and worked for the Civil Service for 21 years.
The move to Australia came after a holiday there convinced them both it was where they would like to spend the rest of their lives. Their daughter had preceded them and their son followed at the end of 1999.Since living in Narrogin, a small country town, Joan has joined the Art Group, taken TAFE courses in art and design, sung in a small choir, won prizes with her photography, been a member of the Horticultural society and produced their newsletter, helped deliver Meals on Wheels and enjoyed turning a large plot of land into a garden. She freely admits to putting some of these interests on the back burner now she is a granny, something she is over the moon about.