I now live overseas and I thought about Ilse this morning and came online to see if I could locate some news of her. I am very sorry to hear that she has passed away. Ilse was my upstairs neighbour at 'Belltrees', Elizabeth Bay. I spent many hours in her apartment and with Ilse's friends eating delicious Viennese cakes and discussing German and Austrian history. Ilse and her friends are the inspiration for my current work. These were joyful days at Belltrees and the building was Ilse's true home - by the harbour, where we would often meet up in the pocket park, looking after her various cats and feeding the possums outside my lounge window in the evenings. A real eccentric in the best possible way and a lovely woman. Will be sorely missed by many.

I was a friend of Ilse, and was somewhat shocked to hear of her passing. She was almost an institution in Onslow Ave. I first met her in the late 90's through my Dear friend Carol Rankin (who passed away late 2010), also of Onslow Ave. We'd both run errands for her and feed Black Cat, Inka, Mr Puss, ( I've forgotten the others) and the Poss's with their little babies, when she was unable to. First Carol going and then Ilse, it's like the ending of an era. Ilse was a lovely, friendly lady and I miss her. R.I.P. P.S. Ilse please say hello to our mutual friends in heaven.

I used to look after Mrs Huber at the NAB Bank at Potts Point she was a lovely kind and entertaining woman who always gave us chocolates at Christmas I am sad to hear of her passing, she is certainly someone I will remember. Wendy May.

Ilse was my downstairs neighbour in the Belltrees building in Elizabeth Bay, where I lived for 7 years from 2001 to 2008. She was a gentle and friendly woman with a great love for all animals. I enjoyed our occasional, but always interesting, conversations. I was very sad to hear of her passing. Mark Bebbington

This was the Eulogy that I wrote for Ilse's funeral service Dear Rabbi Kamins, 14 November 2011 Please find attached info regarding Ilse Huber. I could try to read the story that Ilse wrote called Miracle on Maclay street 2008/2009 The photos speak for themselves and the paper clips give a good idea about Ilse's colourfull life. She was a very resourcefull woman and always kept an entrepreneurial spirit. Ilse was born on 31 July 1924 in Vienna, Austria, the second child to her parents Otto Vorgang and Irma Vorgang, maiden name Podolski. Her oldest brother was Heinz and her younger brother was Harry She fled Austria to avoid the Nazi regime as a 14 year old girl to meet her mother in England only to be interned with her mother as a German speaker on the Isle of Man when Hitler declared war to England On the Isle of Man Ilse met her husband and they got married in Manchester when she was 19 years old. In 1944, her son Peter was born. 1948 the young family joined her husbands family in Sydney, however, they separated shortly after their arrival in Australia. Her son eventually was taken by his father back to Austria and died at the very tender age of only 23 years young. At the time of his death, Peter had two children, Peter and Claudia, Ilse's grandchildren who both have families in Vienna, Austria. In the 50's Ilse was in charge of La Fiaka, a Viennese restaurant and the Blue Danube, a fine dining by candle light and continental entertainment establishment in Kings Cross. She also was a member of the All Nations Club, where Europeans met and had a lot of fun Ilse also sold silk paintings, tried to introduce a gelato machine, which was at the time quite a novelty and as a true pioneer, she started a booking agency for Sydney's leading entertainment centres Most of her working life however, she demonstrated and distributed Monte Cristo, an anti mist stick whose components were invented by her grandfather In the 80's, Ilse survived breast cancer, a stroke, quadriple bypass operation, nervous break down and severe depression. What really changed her life though was the eviction from her beloved flat in Belltrees in 2007. She never was the same again Ilse had a very strong sense of justice and was a fierce advocate to defend it. Most recently she even got on the "barricades" to demonstrate for the keeping of he bus 311 route through Onslow Avenue in Elizabeth Bay. She wrote to the Wentworth Courier and her letter was "letter of the week". Ilse was a very good story teller and her writings were beautiful and poignant. Animals were Ilse's soul mates, any animals, but especially wild possums in the tree in front of Belletrees, the appartment block where Ilse lived for approximately 40 years, which she affectionately called "Bambi....Bambini...." and they actually came to greet Ilse when shewas feeding them, or Jack the stray cat who always hizzed but lapped up the offered milk thankfully. Her greatest joy however in the last years of her life was Fritzi, the incredibly beautiful serene white tomcat Ilse always had the most delicious cake in her fridge waiting for the many visitors that Ilse enjoyed to entertain. She loved people and even most recently she mentioned to me that she felt it amazing that it does not matter how old one is, that one can always make new friends which I find a most inspiring thought. Ilse was well loved by many and Ilse's cheeky smile and wonderful sense of zest for life was impressive and inspiring

7 years ago

I was just thinking of Ilse and i came across this post. I lived in the building next door to her and still do. I was reading about Jack. Thought i would let you know that 5 years later he is still around luving with me. Believe it or not he is asleep on my lap as i write this. I know Ilse would be happy.