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DPI&F loses popular insect taxonomist
News release | 20 June, 2008
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- Ross Storey always had a flamboyant taste in attire, as pictured here in one of his favourite party hats.
Ross Storey, a Mareeba-based entomologist with the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F), died on June 14, at the Cairns Base Hospital after a serious two-week bout of pneumonia.
Ross had been with the department for more than 32 years.
He was the custodian of the Far North Queensland insect collection at Mareeba; one of the largest insect collections outside of an Australian capital city.
Ross fielded local, national and international enquiries ranging from a parent wanting to know the type of insect that bit their child to entomologists in Europe seeking a better understanding of Australian dung beetles.
Ross always welcomed visitors to the insect collection; especially school classes.
Ross specialised in taxonomic work on beetles. More than 60 species of beetles and other insects have been named after Ross, from the Storeya paradoxa to some 40 species of Coleoptera (dung beetles). This is a tribute to his dedication and the international esteem in which his work was held.
Ross was the author of more than 25 academic papers and the co-author of the best-selling book, A Field Guide to Insects in Australia, published by Reed Books in 1995. This publication was awarded the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales´s Whitley Award.
The bound collection of Ross Storey´s papers is held in DPI&F's Mareeba library.
Ross was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in November 1949.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Victoria and came to Australia in 1971. He worked as a technician at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane on a joint UQ/CSIRO project breeding blowfly before joining DPI&F in 1976.
Though Ross suffered from a muscle-wasting disease, he was very active in the community.
He was an active member of his local theatre group where he acted in such productions as Annie Get Your Gun, Lola Montez and The Crucible.
He was a past president of the Mareeba Information and Support Centre and co-founder of the Mareeba branch of the Association of Australian Assistance Dogs (NQ) Inc, serving as a committee member for six years.
Ross was president of the Mareeba District Flexi Support Association, a group that facilitated assistance to carers of people with disabilities.
For his community involvement and service Ross was awarded the Mareeba Shire Council´s Community Service Award in 2007.
Ross, a lover of music, politics and ice hockey, was a popular individual who displayed an amazing sense of humour and courage despite his worsening illness.
While proud to be Canadian, he also loved Australia and the Australian way of life.
Ross is survived by his brother, Jay and his mother Carol.
Media contact: David Anthony, +61 7 4044 1676
daivd.anthony@dpi.qld.gov.au
