EDITH ELLISON (née LELLO)
1906-2000
by her son Tom Ellison, 2005
Edith (Edie) was born in Queenstown on 21 March 1906, the second surviving daughter of Thomas Henry Lello and Elizabeth Lello.
After pursuing her education as far as possible at Queenstown, she moved to Hobart where she completed the Infant Teacher’s Certificate course in 1927. She taught for periods at Queenstown, Strahan and on the Tasmanian north-west coast.
In 1931, Edie married Thomas James Ellison at Devonport. Tom had been raised in Zeehan, and was then also working on the north-west coast. Although unknown to each other in 1919, they found later that they had been second and third on the state scholarship list in that year.
Their children were Thomas, born in Tatrobe in 1933, and Mary Elizabeth, born in Launceston in 1935.
Early in World War 2 Tom joined the army, and was posted to Hobart. Edie followed shortly after, moving in 1941 to the house in Davey Street where they were to live for the next 41 years. Their home was a welcoming oasis for friends and visiting family throughout that period.
In 1991, living then in West Hobart, Tom and Edie celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary with their family, and were delighted to receive a letter from Buckingham Palace.
Tom died in 1993, and Edie lived on until 25 May 2000.
Apart from family, including her 9 grandchildren, and tennis, which she played until her later years, Edie’s main life interest was in painting watercolours. Every corner of Tasmania was explored to find that tree, or mountain, or beach, or track which might be interesting to paint. Her paintings, to be found in so many homes, are a constant reminder of her life.