Margaret Cox was born in 1917 on the Woodriff estate in Combewood to Allan and Sheila Woodriff. Allan was the fourth child and second son of Francis and Margarita Woodriff. In 1943, Margaret married Broughton Cox, a descendant of road builder and pastoralist William Cox. After the war they lived on the Cox family property Cullenbone at Mudgee.

Margaret was described by Penrith Mayor Kevin Crameri as a ‘vigorous defender of our heritage’. She was particularly passionate in saving from developers her grandparents’ home, Combewood. This passion drew in many from the local Nepean District Historical Society and the local community. Margaret and Broughton drained their savings in the 1960s to purchase enough of the property to preserve its devastated grounds and house. Her legacy continues through her daughter Margarite in the care and conservation of Combewood, now a significant heritage site in Penrith.