Holloways Hub crew seeking owner of urn labelled ‘Mum’s ashes’

A family who gratefully took home a donated microwave from the bustling Holloway’s Hub flood recovery headquarters received a shocking surprise when they opened it – and now there’s a call-out to return the item to its owner.

A flood-affected family who received a second-hand microwave from the Holloways Hub volunteer donation crew were shocked to find a person’s cremated remains inside.

Inside was a decorative box with ‘fragile’ stickers and a label ‘Mum’s ashes’.

The box contained a beautiful Asian-style urn with the name Sandy Trevor on it – whether that is the name of the person whose ashes are in the urn is unknown.

One of the crew’s leaders, Rennae Brant-Goodwin, said they’d posted about the mystery urn on social media but two weeks had passed and no-one had come forward to claim it.

Volunteers at the Holloways Hub community donation centre have stumbled upon an urn with a person's ashes inside. Rennae Brant-Goodwin has been trying for two weeks to locate who the urn belongs to and reunite them. Picture: Brendan Radke

She said it could be a treasured possession that accidentally found its way with other donated goods to the hub.

“It was in a microwave, someone took it home and found it,” Ms Brant-Goodwin said.

The volunteer crew sprang up spontaneously around the state government’s community recovery hub established to help people access grant funding and other services.

It has proven a valuable drop-in centre for flood-affected residents throughout the Far North as well as endeavouring to provide essential household goods to those who lost everything in the December deluge.

The government hub moved to the Tjapukai building at Smithfield in early January and the volunteer crew moved several times before finding a home at the Men’s Shed on Oleander St, where it has a marquee next to the playground for people to gather.

Volunteers at the Holloways Hub community donation centre have stumbled upon an urn in a box labelled ‘Mum’s ashes’ and hope the owner will take what may be a treasured possession back. Picture: Brendan Radke

Ms Brant-Goodwin said the hub was supplying about 200 meals daily – all donations – to displaced residents in emergency accommodation without cooking facilities.

There is an informal register where those seeking goods such as beds, mattresses or a fridge can leave a list and their details, and those with goods to donate do the same.

While the volunteer hub sources bigger items, the hub itself has essential supplies such as non-perishable food, toiletries, sanitary products, bedding, linen, clothes, toys and crockery.

With hardworking volunteers needing to go back to earning a living and other commitments, hours have been cut back.

The hub is open from Monday to Friday from 4pm to 6pm, from 10am to noon on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays.

It is run entirely by volunteers and is independent.

Originally published as Holloways Hub crew seeking owner of urn labelled ‘Mum’s ashes’