Resilient battler , Maude Ellis, who laughed at the vicissitudes of life , has died in Darwin at the age of 89. One of the stalwarts at the Nightcliff Uniting Church op shop, Maude was dubbed the Queen of Stain Removal during National Op Shop Week in 2015 for her skill at getting rid of unsightly marks on clothing donated to the shop .
Maude , above, far right, with the late Jo Brandt , wife of Uniting Church minister Ron Brandt , who founded the successful op shop which has sent a wide variety of items to Aboriginal settlements , Timor Leste schoolchildren , scattered cattle stations . As well , it opened up a coffee shop . A doctor member of the op shop arranged for donated medicine to be sent to Timor Leste and reading material to go to women in prison .
By Peter Simon
In an ABC interview in 2015 , Maude featured with founding volunteer Mary Penton, 92 . Between them they had 49 years' service to the Nightcliff shop , which also served as the Uniting Church . During NAIDOC Week , Red Cross recently ran tributes to important Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women , Maude one of them - full of life and love , a support to all.
Her pleasant disposition stood out from the moment you first met her . During my involvement with the op shop brigade , I caused dear Maude to cackle when describing, in exaggerated detail , how I had clambered into a large skip , with a leg up from another female op shop activist, to retrieve items .
A moment of fun in the op shop-laughing Maude on the left , Judith Simon sporting a lampshade or an actual rice paddy worker's protective hat , and bin chucker , lifter , roach basher and skip diver , Peter Simon .
Maude was full of interesting information about the Territory and its people . She spoke of her life , a husband who died suddenly of a heart attack , a step grandfather who had a pineapple farm on Magnetic Island in the l930s , who may have died in Townsville . She belonged to many community organisations and even took part in line dancing . Her house was always full of children and visiting relatives.
With her 90th birthday looming in April , plans were underway for a major celebration . Unfortunately , Maude suddenly became ill , died a few days later. Ever smiling Maude will be remembered by the op shop staff the day of her 90th .
