Ellen Mary Stack (4 May 1929 – 19 May 2023) 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 The City of Darwin is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia. It includes the central business district of the capital, Darwin City, and represents two-thirds of its metropolitan population. Located on the traditional la ...

, Northern Territory, from 1975 to 1979, and

lord mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

from 1979 to 1980. She is best known for her work following the destruction of Darwin due to

Cyclone Tracy Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small but destructive tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small but developing easterly storm was or ...

Early life

Stack was born in Sydney on 4 May 1929, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Stack. She attended Brigidine Convent in

Randwick Randwick is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government ar ...

and went on to study piano at the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney.

Medical career

Stack graduated in 1956 with a

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education trad ...

from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

where she was a resident at Sancta Sophia College. She then became a Fellow of the

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Ro ...

and worked in obstetrics and gynecology. 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. Stack was instrumental in the establishment of Menzies School of Health in 1985. Stack wrote about and commented publicly on public health and community issues such as abortion and women's rights.

Cyclone Tracy and life in Darwin

After moving to Darwin in 1961, Stack became increasingly interested in politics. She was elected to the Darwin City Council in 1969 and became Deputy Mayor in 1974. Stack and her family survived

, despite the destruction of their house. Stack decided not to be evacuated from 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." 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

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 The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

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 The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP), commonly known as the Country Liberals, is a centre-right and conservative political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In territory politics, it operates in a two-party system wi ...

as candidate in the seat of Fannie Bay in the June 1980 Northern Territory 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 The National Australia Day Council (NADC) is a non-profit social enterprise owned by the Australian Government and is the national coordinating body for the Australian of the Year awards and Australia Day. It was established in 1979 and inc ...

. In 1989, Stack acted as the chief medical officer of the Northern Territory.

Personal life and death

In 1957, Stack married Thomas Lawler, an agricultural scientist. Together they had three sons. Stack died in

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on 19 May 2023, at age 94.

Collections and resources

The Ella Stack Collection, donated by Stack in 2015, is available through Library & Archives NT. It is a complete collection of her personal papers and research materials from her work in Darwin. Two oral history recordings have been made of Stack; the first, recorded in 1976, is available through the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

and the second, recorded in 1995, through Library & Archives NT.

References

External links

Ella Stack's Manuscripts at Northern Territory Library.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stack, Ella 1929 births 2023 deaths Mayors and lord mayors of Darwin Australian public health doctors Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Sydney Medical School alumni Northern Territory local councillors Cyclone Tracy Women local councillors in Australia Women mayors of places in the Northern Territory Medical doctors from Sydney Politicians from Sydney Australian women public health doctors 20th-century mayors of places in Australia 20th-century Australian women politicians