Masterman migrated to Tasmania with her family in 1912. She was educated at Collegiate School and completed her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Tasmania in 1933. After graduating from University, she taught French and history in England and Switzerland until she returned to Tasmania at the outbreak of WWII. On her return to Tasmania, she befriended and helped translate for French Antarctic crews arriving in Tasmania.
Masterman studied librarianship in Melbourne and was appointed as the first Tasmanian Parliamentary Librarian in 1945, a position she held for over twenty years. Masterman was named a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to public service in 1976.She joined the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Australian Section in the 1940s and was the Australian Branch Delegate to Geneva for international conferences in 1968 and 1973.
Evelyn Masterman was listed on the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women in 2009 for her service to human rights. (Adapted from the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women Entry).
