As Rosemary settled in to life as a Nova Scotian she became a staunch advocate for her new province. Typically, she found inspiration in its natural landscapes, native and founding peoples, and the stories of their everyday lives. She became an advocate for preserving both natural and cultural history. From efforts to protect the environment and integrity of the Cole Harbour area, and the province as a whole, to recording and raising awareness of traditional ways of making a living from the land and sea, Rosemary devoted an enormous amount of time and energy to securing legislative protection, promoting understanding and appreciation and bringing on side as many as possible from all walks of life.

Although Nova Scotia, and particularly Cole Harbour, became more and more consuming she never lost sight of her beloved country of Canada. An early riser and an avid listener to CBC Radio, Rosemary had dashed off a couple of letters to politicians and influencial public figures on a typical morning before most people had begun their day. She wasn't about to let anything that might compromise or diminish the Canada she knew go unchallenged. This was usually followed by phone calls to anyone and everyone in the local sphere whose interests or influence touched on the causes that were dear to her. Much time was also spent outdoors, usually with camera at the ready. The health problems that struck her in her Ottawa days came just after Rosemary had passed her driving test. Unfortunately they left her unable to drive a car for the rest of her life. Being dependant on other drivers was something she found most frustrating. Whenever the opportunity arose she photographed a wide variety of subjects but, being unable to get around probably resulted in more images of her home territory. There are thousands and thousands of images of the Cole Harbour marsh and environs in the Rosemary Gilliat Eaton fonds at the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum archives.