Euphemia McMurdo Allan was born at Rosebery, Victoria, on 18 August 1894. Known as Effie, she trained to become a school teacher and later became head teacher at Leitchville State School in Victoria. Effie was heavily involved with the Horton-Leitchville Red Cross Society after the outbreak of the First World War. In March 1916 she organised a concert with her students to raise funds for the society. The event featured calisthenic performances, maypole dances and the sale of home-made gifts in combination with raffles of donated items and local produce and succeeded in raising £18. The Bendigo Advertiser commented on the event: "This is the second effort Miss Allan has made in six months to help the Red Cross in this way, and she deserves to be highly complimented on her success." In April that year Allan also coordinated the school's ANZAC Day ceremony, which involved dancing and a large afternoon tea. Their fundraising efforts raised another 20 shillings for the society.

An unyielding supporter of the war effort, Allan composed a poem describing the support in Australia for the men and women at war. This was sent to an unknown recipient at the Western Front with a pair of socks she had knitted. Euphemia Allan married William Edward James Braybon in 1921 and died on 4 April 1969 at Mooroopna, Victoria.