Share Your Memories of Ellen Concannon
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Franz Josef Schuier
Growing up together as toddlers to young students Ellen, Gudrun and I particularly loved the wonderful Kronberg parties! From young children to early student times all the young Frankfurt girls and boys mixed with Worms girls and boys eager to join them at the famous parties in Ellen’s parents “disco room“ in Kronberg.
At one time my mother (the cousin and best friend of Ellen’s mother) was highly concerned about Ellen & Gudrun’s parties and summoned me and my friends a day later warning us of the terrible “disco dangers” to not dance closely and certainly not to kiss, how terrible!
Claire & The Baird Family
As a family, we hold many wonderful memories of our dear friend Ellen. We’ve been reminiscing about the shared holidays to Bundalong, Wattle Point, and Marysville - times filled with laughter, warmth, and the simple joy of being together. Ellen’s beautiful artistic talent always amazed us, as did her effortless knack for hosting and making everyone feel welcome.
Ellen was also a wonderful support to our family. We will never forget the time she stepped in to bathe and dress Elise and Laura when Claire was struck down by the flu - they still remember Ellen teaching them special little tricks to help dress themselves.
To us, Ellen was the picture of grace: always smiling, cheerful, kind, and gentle. She brought light and creativity wherever she went, and her presence enriched our lives in ways we will always treasure.
Note to Ellen: Class Mates from High School (Konigstein)
We worked together - we graduated together in 1967. Every time we get together, we talk about you and the times we spent together.
All of us stayed in Germany, so your life was a real adventure and everyone here was always interested about, what was going on in Australia. Thank goodness, our luck had it, that you were found after so many years. Finally in 2008 Ellen came to our gathering...
It was a rainy day and Ellen enjoyed it a lot as she said: In Australia we wake up every day and there is the sun.
With love
Class mates from the past
Heidi Mowlan
I first saw Ellen in the St Charles Borromeo school car park where our daughters were at school. I was struck by her elegant appearance – she was tall with her hair immaculately styled and was well dressed. That was around 1990 and there was a lot of denim, shoulder pads and leggings – but not Ellen.
We became acquainted through our daughters and then Ellen asked our family to a Cup Day BBQ. That was the real start of a friendship which continued and developed for over 35 years. I was so pleased that Ellen reached out to us, and it was the first of many meals together and other happy celebrations. Ellen had a warm graciousness and always presented any meal in a beautiful way. Even a simple cup of coffee was served with pretty cups and plates.
Ellen was artistic and her artwork graced the walls of her home. She loved colour and often painted flowers.
Her home itself was an art of work. When the family moved into the new home which she and Andrew had planned together, everything was beautifully arranged. Even in the old days in Sanders Road, my daughters were impressed by everything in their home and once asked me “Why can’t our home be more like the Concannon’s?!” I think I said “Because I’m not Ellen!”
But the most important thing to me were the many, many conversations we had about almost everything. Ellen’s intelligence and experience of another place and culture added to our discussions. Ellen also got to know a couple of my other friends and there was more coffee and talk with them.
Above all, Ellen was a very kind person and when I was unwell some years ago she came to the rescue with home cooked meals which she delivered to our home. We were so grateful.
Ellen faced life’s problems and her final illness with stoicism, dignity and a determination to do all she could to stay alive as long as possible.
I am grateful for thirty five years of friendship and I will miss her very much.
Liz Lacono
Ellen was taken from us far too young. In the brief period of her life during which I became her friend she made her mark on me. Friendships formed later in life can sometimes be freer and encumbered by past history. I got to know Ellen as her French teacher when she and Nadja attended my French classes along with a large group of enthusiastic (for a while at least!) fellow learners. We became friends, although this was really after she stopped learning French. I must have done something wrong there! From my hazy memory though, she ‘suspended’ her learning of French due to medical treatment.
Ellen and I shared a deal in common, German and Germany being one of them. Our friendship was based on mutual respect and esteem. I valued Ellen’s sincerity and honesty.
She was straight and clear. She possessed a dignity and strength that I admired greatly and wished to emulate. She demonstrated this in her valiant battle against cancer. On one of the last few occasions I saw her, she was wearing a blond wig, obviously having lost her hair to the cancer treatment. It looked quite authentic, not too dissimilar to her original hairstyle and colour. I admired it. An interesting conversation ensued on wigs-genuine hair as opposed to synthetic etc. She was so practical and thorough in her approach to things. I learned a bit about wigs in the process too! She eventually opted for a genuine wig, as it was more comfortable to wear, especially during the extra long and warm summer we had had. I recount this little episode to illustrate how positive she was through all this ordeal.
She expressed the idea of donating her newly-discarded and perhaps little-worn synthetic wig to someone less fortunate than herself. Wigs are expensive! So despite her own travails with cancer, she was still trying to find the positive in it and generously thinking of others.
She was keenly observant and perceptive. She could be great fun and she was immensely practical too. We enjoyed German and French cinema, accompanied by dinners and lunches involving lively discussions on the films we had seen and many other subjects: politics, society, clothes…
One of my favourite memories is of once spending many hours in Maling Road, Canterbury. We enjoyed a nice lunch at a café, animated conversation and then a fun shopping session.
We both browsed, she tried on, I advised. In the end though, she was successful and made one or two elegant purchases, whereas I went home empty-handed on that occasion. It wasn’t for lack of trying! She wished for me to join in her pleasure, but I had the satisfaction of seeing her happy and looking her best, ever stylish self.
She was a real lady, in every sense of the word, inside and out. I found her inspiring, and I will miss her greatly.
Repose en paix, Ellen.