Ross, Elese Teressa (née Rossiter)   (1909 - 1989)

Born on 16 February 1909 at 'Homeleigh' Hedley, South Gippsland; died on 6 October 1989 at Yarram, Victoria.

She was a fiery stubborn red-headed equestrienne, was born in 1908 at Hedley within view of Wilsons Promontory and the Strzeleckis. Her father had carved their property from the swamp flats in 1898, while her mother's people, the Hodgsons, had settled the nearby foothills in 1880.

The Rossiter children grew up in an environment of enquiry, observation and research, filling their scant leisure time with botanical forays.

Elese began serious orchiding in 1913, accompanying her family around the farms and nearby bush, but soon the local youngsters were venturing further afield on their ponies - to the Strzelecki foothills, Gellions Run, the Toora Tin Mines and, later, to Port Albert Racecourse, Macks Creek and Won Wron Forest.

After attending Hedley State School from 1916 to 1921, Elese went on to the Leongatha Agricultural High School (1922-1924), boarding during the week but catching the train home for the weekends.

Between 1925 and 1940, she worked on the farm at Homeleigh with occasional work spells, possibly as a nanny, in Melbourne; while in Melbourne Elese met many of the orchid enthusiasts with whom she was corresponding.

Elese also pooled her finds with a group of keen local naturalists, including Emma Devonshire (Devie, 1890-1954), who had a great influence on her, she met Devie in 1926 and maintained contact with her until Devie's death in 1954.

She married Gordon Ross in Hawthorn 22 June 1940, living in St Kilda until Gordon went to New Guinea in WW2, whereupon she returned to Homeleigh to help on the property as her father was ill. After the war she and her husband and two small daughters moved around the state, wherever Gordon found work.

Over the years Elese corresponded with a number of orchid enthusiasts; although E.E. Pescott wrote a series of articles for Victorian Naturalist in 1916, the orchid era did not really gather momentum until the mid 1920s, with enthusiasts such as Nicholls, Rupp, Rogers and Tadgell. These early orchidists collected, drew, photographed, identified and pressed specimens and, in order to gather specimens from far afield, they encouraged amateur enthusiasts to collect for them by corresponding with them.

Dr R.S. Rogers, the noted South Australian authority, wrote and identified specimens for Elese for some years.

Affected by the severe bushfires of January 1969 in Yea, Elese returned to South Gippsland, living in Yarram from 1970 to 1989. She immediately resumed her orchiding expeditions, usually with her siblings, as her parents had died.

Elese collapsed while guiding an Australian Native Orchid Society (ANOS) excursion in 1989, but, while hospitalised, helped to record her orchiding reminiscences.

She died on 6 October 1989, in Yarram.

Source: Extracted from:
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Rossiter-320
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/222627475/elese-teressa-ross
The Argus (Melbourne) Fri 12 Jul 1940 Page 4 - Family Notices - MARRIAGE ROSS-ROSSITER
Terri Gitsham Allen (2007) 'Gippsland Lady Botanists', South Gippsland Conservation Society.
Portrait Photo: 1978, 'Gippsland Lady Botanists', p.28.

Collecting localities for 'Ross, E.' (with filters) from AVH (2026)

Data from 48 specimens