Margaret Forte was born in England, but lived in New Zealand from the age of seven. Her education included three years at a Quaker school, the Friends School in Wanganui. She began her career as a journalist at the Dominion in Wellington, and over the next fourteen years she worked for the Sydney Daily Telegraph, the Vancouver News-Herald and the Adelaide News. She married a professional engineer, and in the 1950s resigned from the News to be a full-time parent to their three sons.
The Vietnam war developed, and Margaret's commitment to non-violent resolution of conflict led her to join the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, where she worked as secretary of the South Australian branch for 30 years. She has also worked for the National Trust of South Australia and for the South Australian Division of the United Nations Association. In 1986 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services 'to International Relations and Peace'.