Stirling was born in
Summer Hill, New South Wales to New Zealand-born father Henry James Mamgron, a sharebroker's clerk who was of Danish-German descent and Mary Rose Lawrie. She studied classical dance before joining the
Tivoli circuit at the age of sixteen, where she then performed as a soubrette and tap dancer, before joining the
Fullers Theatre in the chorus line. In 1932 she started working in radio for George Edwards as his assistant, in his production "The Ghost Train" and eventually became his business and romantic partner. The duo began working on radio at
2UE and were very successful, forming their own company, "The George Edwards Players". This became one of the largest producers of radio shows in Australia, many of which starred Stirling herself, the couple later moved to radio network
2GB in 1934. Their scriptwriters included
Lynne Foster,
Lorna Bingham,
Sumner Locke Elliott,
Maurice Francis and
Anthony Scott Veitch. Key shows included
Dad and Dave from Snake Gully. Stirling became Australia's highest paid female actress. ==Personal life==