Vivian was born in Egypt in 1945. Her parents were part of the large community of British/European settlers who lived in the country before the outbreak of World War Two. Vivian's father served in the RAF. After the war, the family migrated to Australia and settled in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
Shortly after Vivian finished College, her older sister forged her name to a letter and addressed it to the overseas forces in Malaya. That letter was handed to Pte. Lyndon 'Blue' Waring who came from the Riverina district of N.S.W. Vivian and Blue continued to correspond during the remainder of his service in Malaya and later Vietnam.
Blue was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery in Vietnam.
Vivian and Blue married shortly after his return to Australia. They were married for ten years and had four daughters.
After Blue left the Armed Forces he joined the Victoria Police Force. He rose to the rank of Detective/Senior Constable. Blue was killed when his unmarked police vehicle was involved in an accident.
Vivian now has six grandchildren. She accompanied one of the first groups of Veterans to return to Vietnam. She travelled frequently to Cambodia to work in the slums outside of Phnom Penh. While she was there, she turned her apartment into a half-way house for impoverished students.