“The Life and Times of Emily Pelloe” Alex George

Emily Pelloe was the first person to popularise WA’s wildflowers by producing books and having a regular wildflower column the local newspaper.  She was an enthusiastic horsewoman and a talented artist who used to ride out into the bush, carrying lunch and her painting gear, until she found a suitably floriferous spot to settle down to painting.  But she complained that her horse, Snowdrop, was prone to eating the flowers before she got around to sketching them! She wrote two books, one on WA flora generally (1921) and another devoted to orchids.  She also contributed the chapter on “Flora” to the WA Centenary book in which she trumpeted the plight of wheatbelt flora subjected to indiscriminate agricultural clearing.

She was an early member of the WA Naturalists’ Club (founded 1924) and immensely influential in her time.  This should be a fascinating and eye-opening talk.