Women’s shelter home left to charity by larger than life nurse

A MANLY townhouse just 100m from the beach has been left to charity — including the non-profit Manly Women’s Shelter that has helped more than 200 homeless women on the northern beaches

Manly Citizen of the year - Manly Women's Shelter Ellie Hunt.

The  sale of a Manly townhouse that belonged to a former nurse will help the women’s shelter she set up.

Ellie Hunt helped establish the Manly Women’s Shelter in 2010, four years before she died, aged 64.

Last month, the two-bedroom property was sold at auction for $1.59 million and some of the money is going to help the Manly-based women’s charity.

The Manly townhouse one street back from the beach which sold for $1.59m.

The non-profit organisation has helped more than 200 homeless women on the northern beaches and needs $450,000 annually to keep going. Mrs Hunt’s Carlton St townhouse is 100m from the beach and she allowed the shelter to house women in need, who were often in crisis due to domestic violence or mental illness.

Mrs Hunt allowed homeless women to shelter in her Manly townhouse.

Manly Women’s Shelter board member Rosy Sullivan said Mrs Hunt was a larger-than-life character who loved to have fun and wanted people around her to be free from harm.

“She trained as a nurse and nurse educator and lived in Manly for around 15 years,” Mrs Sullivan said.

Mrs Hunt set up a foundation to support schools and charities but her favourite cause was the Manly Women’s Shelter, which has three properties providing crisis accommodation.

The living room in the Manly townhouse.

“Manly is thought of as an affluent area,” Mrs Sullivan said.

“However, there are more than 300 women annually looking for crisis accommodation on the northern beaches.

“The real estate team at Belle Property Manly was hugely supportive and went above and beyond what I have ever seen an agency do in the sale of a property.”

The upstairs bedroom has a bathroom and skylight - and the home was just 100m from Manly Beach.

Belle Property Manly real estate agent Anthony Calacoci donated his sales commission on Mrs Hunt’s property to the shelter and has helped raise money for the charity.

“Mrs Hunt was the kind of women you could never say no to,” he said.

“Eleven bidders registered for the property, which was in original condition.

“It sold well over reserve to a man who used to live next door and he wanted to get back into the area, having missed living there.”