Born: 23 March 1944, Sydney, NSW (daughter of Kevin Francis and Margaret Elizabeth (née Lawless) Hume.
Following her secondary education at the Brigidine Convent Randwick, Nilard completed a BA (UNSW) and DipEd (Syd.). Commencing her career as a teacher with the NSW dept Education, she became a graduate assistant at the Secondary Education Materials Centre, University of Illinois USA, also obtaining her MA from the University.
After teaching at De Witt Junior High School New York for six years (1968-1973), she returned to Australia taking up positions with the ACT Education dept (1973-1974) and Department of Technical and Further Education (1974-1976), before becoming co-ordinator Women's Co-ordinator Unit, NSW Premier's department (1976-1979).
In 1979, Nillard became Counsellor for Equal Opportunity NSW and in 1982 President of the Anti-Discrimination Board NSW.
Since 1989, she has been a Consultant and Mediator with Carmel Niland and Associates and in 1994 was appointed Commissioner to inquire into matters surrounding the resignation of the former Minister for Police, Mr Terry Griffiths by Premier John Fahey.
Contemporary Australian Women 1996/97 lists her major achievements as:
1970s: created first women's register in Australia for appointment to boards and authorities; developed funding model for first Women's Refuge Network in NSW.
1980s: first woman councillor for Equal Opportunity; first woman president, NSW Anti-Discrimination Board and administrated the board for five years, managing an extensive research and community consultative program, with 30 full-time staff; advocated gay law reform and established first AIDS liaison team in 1983; drafted and advocated Australia's first racial vilification bill, which became law in 1989.
1990s: Deputy Chancellor, UNSW 1989-1992 and led move of UNSW to be Australia's first green university; mediated over one hundred complex community, educational, environmental and employment disputes.

(Source: http://acwa.asn.au/ACWA/publications/newsletter/1998/may/may2.html and Contemporary Australian Women 1996/97.