Aitken was born in 1956 in
Paeroa. Her parents were Phil and Dorothy Fathers, who moved from Auckland to Paeroa after Aitken had children; that way she could continue with the travel required for her netball coaching career. A former goal-attack, Aitken represented New Zealand in the
1979 World Netball Championships in Trinidad and Tobago, playing two warm-up games and then in one match against
Ireland. Aitken became coach of the Silver Ferns in 2001, replacing
Yvonne Willering. In late 2011, she retired as coach of the national team – and was later replaced by assistant
Waimarama Taumaunu. In December 2012, it was announced that Aitken would take over as Technical Director and National Coach of
Netball Singapore. She is a member of the
Sports Tribunal of New Zealand. ==Honours and awards==