The daughter of Australian war artist
Alex Gurney (1902–1955) — the creator of the legendary
Bluey and Curley cartoon — and Junee Gurney (1909–1984),
née Grover, youngest daughter of the journalist Montague "Monty" MacGregor Grover (1870–1943), and Ada Grover (1877–1928),
née Goldberg, Margaret Jane Gurney was born in
Melbourne. She had three elder siblings: John, Jennifer, and Susan. Gurney was educated at: •
Elsternwick State School •
Methodist Ladies' College, Elsternwick •
Swinburne Technical College, in Hawthorn, gaining a Certificate in Art (conferred on 16 August 1962), and a Diploma of Advertising Art (conferred on 11 August 1965), •
Phillip Institute of Technology, in Preston, gaining her
Post Graduate Diploma in Community Education and Development, in 1985 During her time as a student she won a number of prizes for her art, including: • At MLC, she won the Drawing Prize for original art work in 1958. • At Swinburne, she won the Fourth Year Art School Class Prize in 1963.
Drama Gurney took the part of Concha Puerto, the major protagonist in
The Women Have Their Way (an English version of the
Quintero brothers' :es:Puebla de las Mujeres), in MLC's (August 1959) annual school play. At Swinburne she had a number of leading roles in each of the college's first two
student revues (each produced by Brian Robinson):
In the Pink (1962), and
Get Well Soon (1963). ==Career==