Olive was in the same year as Hilary Clark and Anne Tucker. Hilary was a close friend of Olive when they were in the 5th form. Hilary has a vivid recollection of their wandering around the school grounds throughout the whole of an art lesson discussing social and political matters and setting the world to rights. They were supposed to be bringing in a few flowers to paint!

From Olive's funeral address given by Monica Jones:

Olive's father was injured serving as an officer in the Royal Artillery in WW1, and sadly died when Olive was 13. Olive attended Bingley Junior School, then gained a scholarship to the Girls' High School, which enabled her to stay on after her father's death. Her mother had to return to nursing to provide for the family, and eventually Olive's younger siblings, Sylvia and Jim, had to go into the Royal Orphanage, where the strict rules limited family visits to about half an hour after morning service in the school chapel. Olive should really have gone to university after leaving school in 1939, but unfortunately this was not financially possible.

She went instead to Furzedown College in London, evacuated to Cardiff after one term. Olive was president of the debating society and a member of the college netball team. The college staff recognised Olive's great potential as a teacher to help develop pupils into independent thinkers. After gaining her teaching certificate in 1941, Olive had a range of experiences in secondary modern schools in Wolverhampton , London and Birmingham. She had great success with girls who found learning difficult.

Olive had one terrible experience in London in about 1944. In the lunch break, she and a colleague went shopping, returning to find the school had been hit by a Doodlebug. They had to help identify teachers and pupils.

Whilst teaching in Wolverhampton, Olive went two evenings a week to Birmingham to study Hebrew and Greek. In 1957, Olive was seconded by Wolverhampton Education Committee to Whitelands College, London, to take a supplementary course in Divinity. Her high standard of work was rewarded by gaining the University Of London Diploma in Theology. She also obtained the Baptist diploma in Greek.

In 1961, Olive was encouraged to apply for the Religious Education post at WGHS, where she taught until she retired in 1981.

Olive was respected both by colleagues and pupils. She had high expectations of herself and was always looking for the best in others. Olive met her lifetime friend, Elizabeth, at a Girl's Life Brigade camp in Aberystwyth in the 1940's. Together they enjoyed many holidays travelling in Britain and the continent.

Olive's other interests and activities included studying, reading, helping people who had difficulties with their animals, gardening and English folkdancing. Olive was kind and helpful, thoughtful for others, extremely generous and uncomplaining about her illness.