Dr. Lilian Violet Cooper, the first female Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (FRACS), broke barriers in a male-dominated profession and forged a path for women in surgery through her efforts as a military doctor. Born in Chatham, England, she earned her medical degree from the London School of Medicine for Women in 1890. Upon emigrating to Queensland in 1891 with her companion, Josephine Bedford, Dr. Cooper became Queensland's first registered female medical practitioner. Her career was marked by numerous firsts. In 1896, she was appointed the first female Honorary Medical Officer at the Hospital for Sick Children, and she began her long association with the Mater Misericordiae Hospital in 1905. Her practice thrived as she championed the health of women and children, often traveling to patients by bicycle, horse, or her motor vehicle, the “Yellow Peril.” Determined to serve in World War I, Dr. Cooper joined the Scottish Women’s Hospitals in 1916, where she worked heroically near the Serbian front. Operating under extreme conditions, she performed 144 surgeries in eight months at a 40-bed dressing station, earning the Serbian Order of St. Sava in 1917. A trailblazer in every sense, Dr. Cooper joined the College as a Foundation Fellow in 1927, leaving a legacy of courage, skill, and advocacy for women in surgery. Her remarkable career and tenacity continue to inspire surgeons and underscore the invaluable contributions of women in medicine.