Bertha Kapeen was born on Cabbage Tree Island which is near Ballina in New South Wales. She is the ninth child in a family of thirteen children and her family totem is the Goanna. Kapeen went to school at Cubawee Aboriginal School and then North Lismore Public School until she left school at age fourteen.
At around fifteen years of age, Kapeen was sent to Sydney where she worked as a housekeeper for a doctor. She became involved in education in her 20's and was the first Aboriginal person to be employed by the New South Wales Department of Education. Kapeen has been a participant in the Aboriginal Education Consulting Group for over thirty years. She has also run a cultural awareness education programme for medical doctors associated with Southern Cross University.
In her capacity as a highly respected Elder and community leader, Kapeen conducts cultural tours and other activities associated with Bundjalung community business such as, storytelling and Welcome to Country. In 2008 Kapeen was named the Ballina Electorate's Woman of the Year.
