Tributes have poured in for a “saint” of the Sunshine Coast, who spent much of her life dedicated to helping others.
Elaine Mooney was farewelled last Saturday with a wake at the Mooloolah Valley Country Club, where friends, family and community members celebrated a life filled with generosity.
Best known on the Coast for her involvement with youth charity Connect Kids, CEO Gordon Barratt said she would be dearly missed.
“She was a saint,” he said.
“I doubt Connect Kids would exist if not for her. She helped get it off the ground and helped build the program.
“I was working full-time and she was pretty well in the frontline while we were getting established.”
Mr Barratt said he couldn’t pinpoint when he first met Elaine, but believed it was through Volunteering Sunshine Coast.
“We were part of Sunny Kids and really needed to take the mentoring program on its own journey,” he said.
“She became an employee but for the first 18 months she worked tirelessly for no pay.
“I’ve got no doubt she still would have been with us if not for stepping down due to health reasons.”
Elaine’s husband John Mooney said she had a tough battle with stage five melanoma.
“She had countless surgeries and in the end, it got her when it spread to the brain,” he said.
John, who met Elaine in 2011, said he would miss the love of his life.
“She was just an amazing person; they were the best years of my life,” he said.
“Lainey found it easy to love people in her life. It wasn’t just saved for family and friends, but to my family, whom she married into.
“My family comprised five sons; wives, partners, grandkids and a great-grandchild. The love she showed them was returned to her.
“I recently asked someone ‘why do they take the good ones so early?’. The reply was: ‘If you go into the garden to pick a flower, you always pick the best one.’
“Well, they definitely picked the best one.”
Mr Barratt said Elaine would be remembered for her passion for helping others, especially teenagers.
“I still remember her saying to me ‘this is the sort of thing I want to do, helping young people’, especially young people at risk,” he said.
“She was a mentor to our mentors and even though she left Connect Kids as an employee she was constantly there in the background until the illness started to become more serious.”
Elaine was also passionate about helping others from outside her community. She linked up with services that provided mental health support to people impacted by flooding in Townsville and droughts in western Queensland.
“She also did a lot of volunteer work with Lifeline,” Mr Barratt said.
“Everyone she touched has an Elaine story about what an amazing and caring person she was.
“She seemed to be able to connect with anyone of any age … she was one of those infectious characters.
“Rarely did she have a bad word to say about anybody.”
Connect Kids will now present the annual Elaine Mooney Award in recognition of a child who has made great headway in the face of adversity.
“She went so far and beyond to help the most vulnerable kids,” Mr Barratt said.
“This is just something we can do to honour her legacy.”
In true Elaine style, her wake was one to remember.
“Everyone knows she loved a party,” John said.
“She introduced me to cruising. Together we did seven. The Greek Islands was our favourite. We always knew the location of the bar that opened first.”
Mr Barratt added: “We all knew she loved a red wine, so the beer and wine were flowing at her send-off.”
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