Gwen came to the Territory as a church worker in 1971working as an accounts clerk for the Methodist Overseas Mission in Darwin. After Cyclone Tracy she stayed in Darwin as acting senior clerk, overseeing the accounting functions for the Arnhem Land region with the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA). In 1980 Gwen became the second treasurer for the north synod of the UCA covering the entire Northern Territory, Kimberley's in Western Australia and areas of Pitjantjatjara land which extended into South Australia. Gwen was the first women in northern Australia to hold a synod executive position and was one of the few women in Australia working on a church finance committee. She has been involved with the National Council of Women (NCW) since 1974 and secretary from 1979 to 1980. Gwen was also the Northern Territory president from 1980 to 1984. She hosted a Darwin-based international NCW seminar on ‘Strategies for the Eighties' which included guest speakers from around Australia and overseas.
Gwen was president for the Darwin Uniting Church Women's Fellowship for three years and treasurer for the United Nations Australia Association Status of Women Committee (Northern Territory) since 1985 and served as treasurer for the UCNA's Darwin War Memorial Church from 1972 to 1974.,