Maureen King has quite a collection of hearing devices bequeathed to her by Norfolk Islanders who died last year.

Key points: Maureen King has been rejuvenating hearing aids for residents of Norfolk Island for 20 years

Maureen King has been rejuvenating hearing aids for residents of Norfolk Island for 20 years Her work helps residents who are struggling financially and help them avoid a flight to the mainland

Her work helps residents who are struggling financially and help them avoid a flight to the mainland When she gets a particularly dirty one, she 'counts to 10 and thinks of England'

The tiny island, home to just over 2,000 residents, sits in the Pacific Ocean, 1,400 kilometres east of Byron Bay.

There are no audiologists based on the island, nor technicians to repair hearing devices — which is where Ms King comes in.

Ms King, 80, voluntarily repairs, restores, and recirculates hearing devices so her fellow islanders can: "hear their families tell them they love them".

While the latest hearing technology enables users to control their devices from their smartphones, Ms King said with good care and know-how, it was possible to re-use basic devices over and over again.

"Many people who live on the island can't afford new devices, or can't make the necessary trip all the way to Australia, so I tell them I'll make them one," she said.

A ready ear for all

For more than two decades, Ms King's unique skillset has touched hundreds in the tight-knit community.

Following the death of an islander with a hearing device, it has become tradition for loved ones to take it along to Ms King's home.

There, they are cleaned and sent off to the next person in need.

Maureen King invites the public into her Norfolk Island home. ( ABC Western Plains: Jessie Davies )

"People knock on my door. We have a chat, a cup of tea, and we talk about their loss and they leave the hearing aids with me," she said.

"For some, it's too hard to talk about their grief so they just leave them quietly by my door.

"I don't and won't accept payment of any kind … it's the Norfolk way to help your community."

Filling a much-needed gap

Now retired, Ms King made her living in New Zealand as a teacher before moving to Norfolk Island to run a children's clothing store.

Everything she learned about hearing aids came from a visiting specialist, Steve Dawson.

She formed a close bond with him through her association with the Norfolk Island Quota Club, an international organisation helping the deaf and hard of hearing.

For two decades Mr Dawson travelled from his audiology practice in Ballina on the New South Wales north coast to visit patients on Norfolk.

But last June, he became unable to travel due to illness and as a result, Ms King's skills became more vital than ever.

Maureen King has repaired and restored hundreds of hearing aids for Norfolk Islanders over two decades. ( ABC Western Plains: Jessie Davies )

When they first met, he helped Ms King set up her workshop with all the essentials, including a wide range of batteries and tools.

"He also gave me a sterilising machine which I use extensively, and of course I rely heavily on cleaning cloths and gel sterilisers," she said.

Surprisingly, she said, the work was not too complex.

"I don't have to fiddle too much with wiring because it's usually encased in plastic [and] anything that is just too hard, I send back to Mr Dawson in Ballina," she said.

While the thought of sticky, yellow earwax might irk many, Ms King said she did not mind.

"If I'm dealing with a dirty one I count to 10 and think of England," she said.

"I wash my hands religiously and I'm very careful not to upset anyone about it."

She estimated some of the hearing aids still in circulation on the island were more that 20 years old.

'That's Norfolk Island'

Ms King said patients arrived at her house at all hours of the day or night.

"No matter what time of day, even on Christmas eve, I can have visits," she said.

"If anyone presents to the hospital and pharmacy with problems, even tourists, they're all directed to me.

"While I can't walk on water, I have a go."

Norfolk Island's residents rely on a number of visiting healthcare specialists. ( ABC News: Nathan Morris )

Ms King said her friends understood and admired her charity work.

"They know it's just part and parcel of who I am and my service to the island," she said.

And while she does not accept payment, she said it was nice to be thanked.

"One Christmas Day I found a bag by my door [and] in it was a wee piece of pumpkin, some potatoes, a wee cauliflower, and some beans," she said.

"I knew who they were from; that's Norfolk Island."