For ten years she was chair of the Becher Foundation, which supported indigenous programs, refugees and asylum seekers, women in the developing world, Jewish community projects, and rural and regional communities.

A few years ago she suffered a stroke, which impaired her ability to speak, write and spell. She has fought the disability, determined to keep writing. Rupture is her first book since then.

Susan is a keen collector of Aboriginal art, loves 1930s china and, of course, reading. She and her partner Anne spent much of the year in the NSW Southern Highlands and some months in sunny Brunswick Heads. She has recently brought out a new book, which will mix both poetry and prose. In December 2021 her beloved partner Anne died after contracting an incurable sarcoma.