Vale Dr Ross Mars

by Noala Degasperis

As many of you already know, we lost a giant of permaculture in Western Australia, and the world, last Thursday – Dr Ross Mars.

I love the photo Ross’s daughter Simone posted of him in her announcement; that cheeky grin and mischief in his eyes.

PermacultureWest will host an informal gathering of permies to celebrate our Permaculture Elder, Ross, in the coming weeks/month.

Details will be advised here, to our members, our newsletter subscribers mail list, our Facebook page and Permaculture Perth Facebook page.

Rest in Peace Ross, now ‘shading out somebody’s lawn’.

Simone’s announcement from Thursday:

Hi, this is Simone Willis, Ross’s daughter.

Sadly Ross passed away peacefully this morning from Motor Neurone Disease, surrounded by family at his home in Mundaring.

Ross was a permaculture pioneer, elder, author and educator and was recognised for his knowledge and expertise in designing resilient permaculture systems, and designing and installing a whole range of rainwater, greywater and sewerage systems for both domestic and commercial properties.

He ended up writing, co-writing or editing twenty books for primary and secondary students and for adults, including five books related to permaculture, and sent his last book The Basics of Regenerative Agriculture to the UK publisher in August. Some of the permaculture books have been translated into French and Spanish, all have been published in Australia and republished in the UK, Spain, Canada and USA.

Ross will be sorely missed by everyone, as he was such an influence in his family and the community.

His Funeral will take place at 11am on Wednesday November 15th at Pinnaroo Chapel, Whitfords Ave, Padbury.

The Live Stream link has now been created for the following service.

“PINNAROO VALLEY MEMORIAL PARK – West Chapel – Ross Mars”

11:00 – 15-11-2023

Private Viewing Link: https://vimeo.com/878148969/b6ea0f2f4a