RIP, Doctor Ellen Mary Stack (1929-2023)

From Malcolm Fyfe MSC, Vicar General, Darwin. “I write to tell you that another iconic Northern Territorian and outstanding Catholic has passed from this world to the next. DOCTOR ELLEN MARY STACK died yesterday at the age of 94.

The photo above is how I remember her from my earlier stint in the diocese (1978 to 1983 incl.)  

(Doctor) Ella Stack – as we all referred to her in those days, was the go-to person for just about anything. All members of the clergy and religious knew that they would get an attentive hearing and reliable solutions to their concerns, whether of a medical, religious or political nature. Ella must rank as one of the Territory’s truly “Greats” and one of the Darwin Diocese’s outstanding Catholics. She was ahead of most others in just about every field – her spirit of faith, compassion, medical experience and availability, women’s rights, First Nations’ culture and their needs.

I can add that Ella had an especially warm relationship with Bishop John Patrick O’Loughlin, with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (40 or so of us at the time). During my time up here (‘78 to ’83) I experienced countless instances of support in a variety of circumstances: nothing ever seemed to be too much trouble for Ella…

Long term Catholic residents of the NT will be interested to read more about her life. I attach the following (from Wikipedia)

Ellen Mary Stack CBE (born 4 May 1929) was an Australian medical doctor and the first female Lord Mayor of an Australian capital city. She was the mayor of the City of Darwin, Northern Territory from 1975 to 1979, and Lord Mayor from 1979 to 1980. She is best known for her work following the destruction of Darwin due to Cyclone Tracy.

Early life: Doctor Stack was born in Sydney in 1929, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Stack. She attended Brigidine Convent in Randwick and went on to study piano at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney.  Ellen Mary Stack (Ella) married Thomas (Tom) Lawler, an agricultural scientist, in 1957.  They had three sons.

Photo: University of Sydney

Medical Career: Ella Stack graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney where she was a resident at Sancta Sophia College. She then became a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and worked in obstetrics and gynaecology. She worked in Wee Waa and Narrabri in the Namoi Valley before moving to Darwin in 1961.  Working at a clinic in Parap, she was one of only two private practitioners in Darwin at the time.   After her time as Lord Mayor of Darwin, she completed a Masters of Public Health from the University of Sydney. She then returned to Darwin, becoming the first Assistant Secretary of the Division of Aboriginal Health at the Department of Health of the Northern Territory. She became the Chief Medical Officer of the Northern Territory in 1987. Doctor  Stack was instrumental in the establishment of Menzies School of Health in 1985.  She wrote about and commented publicly on public health and community issues, such as abortion and women rights.

Cyclone Tracy and life in Darwin:  After moving to Darwin in 1961, Doctor Stack became increasingly interested in politics. She was elected to the Darwin City Council in 1969 and became Deputy Mayor in 1974. She and her family survived Cyclone Tracy, despite the destruction of their house. Doctor Stack decided not to evacuate Darwin, instead running an emergency clinic at Darwin High School, which became the main shelter and evacuation centre after the cyclone. She was responsible for the health care of 11,000 people who passed through the centre. "Not only did I look after the people that came in, but also people came and lived here," she said. "They brought their sodden old mattresses with them... I used to do a ward round every day and call them the sodden mattress lot."  Doctor Stack was pivotal in establishing the Darwin Disaster Welfare Council, that would later become the Northern Territory Women's Advisory Council. Stack became involved in reconstruction efforts. She was elected mayor of the City of Darwin in May 1975 and automatically became a member of the Darwin Reconstruction Commission.  Stack was re-elected Mayor of Darwin on 30 April 1978.  Stack became the first Lord Mayor of Darwin in 1979 when it became a capital city. She was the first female Lord Mayor of an Australian capital city. Stack was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979 for services rendered to the people of Darwin following the cyclone. Stack resigned as Lord Mayor in May 1980 to run for the Country Liberal Party as candidate in the seat of Fannie Bay in the June election. She lost to the incumbent, Pam O'Neil. In 1985, Stack served as the Northern Territory representative on the first National Australia Day Council.

A recenet photo:NT Mews

Ella Stack on Cyclone Tracy: “In 1974 I was elected Deputy Mayor. The arrival of Cyclone Tracey in the early hours of Christmas Day 1974 changed everything, 66 people were killed and the city was all but completely destroyed. My surgery was blown away and all my patient records were lost. There were very few buildings left standing in the city, fresh water was not available and there were no electrical power or sewerage services. Foodstuffs were practically non existent. Because the cyclone had destroyed the city’s infrastructure, the stage was set for the onset of many communicable diseases. It was decided to evacuate the city by air to the southern capitals as quickly as possible.

As a temporary measure, the largely undamaged Darwin High School was used as a shelter for the homeless until they could be evacuated. I opened an emergency clinic within the Darwin High School, where I administered medical attention to the injured and immunised both adults and children against typhoid and tetanus. Of the pre-Tracey Darwin population of 45,000, 30,000 were evacuated by air in 11 days, and of these evacuees, many of whom needed medical attention as well immunisation, 11,000 passed through the Darwin High School.

Photo: National Museum of Australia

I stayed on in Darwin after the cyclone and I became very involved in the reconstruction of the city. As I was elected Mayor of the City in May 1975, I automatically became a Member of the Darwin Reconstruction Commission. This was a very interesting time in the development of the new Darwin. A new building code was enacted to prevent similar devastation in the future. I became the first Lord Mayor of Darwin in 1979 when Queen Elizabeth II created the Lord Mayoralty of the city. (The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Online Museum )