Not a lot known about her.
Limited info about the £10 note from here:
http://www.rba.gov.au/Museum/# click on Museum in the menu on the left - MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIAN CURRENCY NOTES- take the virtual tour
Keyline drawing of Governor Arthur PhillipImage showing the front of a ten pound noteArthur Phillip (1755-1814), shown on the £10 note, was Captain-General of the First Fleet to arrive at Botany Bay and then Port Jackson in 1788. The first Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, he returned to England in 1793, confident that the new colony would succeed.
Industry and science were represented on the £10 note with symbols of electrical power, chemistry, a pair of scales and gears.
Photograph of Mrs Nartiss, a modelImage showing the back of a ten pound noteThe female figure on the £10 note is from a photograph of a model, in the RBA archives known only as Mrs Nartiss; she holds a pair of dividers and a sheet of paper, symbolising research.
A bit more info from here: http://www.vision.net.au/~pwood/july05.htm1954 Ten Pounds - Coombs/Wilson (Commonwealth Bank of Australia)
Governor Arthur Phillip - Signs of Industry, Science and the Arts reverse. The model was Karina Nartiss (nee Sar) originally from Latvia (1925 - 1985)
The story of the late Karina Nartiss (nee Sar) was originally told in the Australian Coin Review of July 1988, but well-known currency expert , numismatist extraordinaire and prolific author, Mick Vort-Ronald, has recently reminded us of her involvement with the last paper 10 Pound note.
At that time, Karina, who had been trained as a dancer, was earning a living as a professional photograhic model, and she received a 10 Guinea payment (AUD$21.00) for the pose, in classical ballet robes, on March 22nd. 1952. She had no artist's copyright entitlements (they were signed over to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia as part of the deal) and she was not even told of the purpose of the photographs until just prior to the release of the note.
No credit of her involvement was ever publicly given out until 1988.
The Australasian Coin & Banknote Magazine Volume 8, Issue 5 June 2005 features Mick's brief revival of her story - and, by putting it on record once again, it will probably be enough to ensure her place in Australian numismatic history.
