Rica Erickson
| Rica Erickson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Frederica Lucy Sandilands 10 August 1908 Boulder, Western Australia |
| Died | 8 September 2009 (aged 101) Mosman Park, Western Australia |
| Occupation | Naturalist, botanical artist, historian and author |
Frederica Lucy "Rica" Erickson AM, née Sandilands, (10 August 1908 – 8 September 2009) was an Australian naturalist, botanical artist, historian, author and teacher. Without any formal scientific training, she wrote extensively on botany and birds, as well as genealogy and general history. Erickson authored ten books, co-authored four, was editor of twelve, and author or co-author of numerous papers and articles that have been printed in popular, scientific and encyclopaedic publications.
Born in Boulder, Western Australia, Erickson was the eldest of eight children of Phoebe Cooke and Christopher Sandilands, both of whom immigrated to Western Australia from Victoria in 1906, and met in the goldfield town. Christopher Sandilands was a farmer's son and worked at the Great Boulder Mine as a filter press hand. The family lived on Dwyer Street.
Christopher enlisted into the army and served in France during World War I. He returned home disabled and was unable to resume his work at the mine, consequently purchasing a block of virgin bush at Kendenup to begin farming as an orchardist. It was here that Rica met botanical artist Emily Pelloe in 1921. Pelloe was introduced after Jack De Garis, the publisher of Pelloe's books, gave the Sandilands family a gift of her just published Wildflowers of Western Australia as a Christmas present.
She returned to the goldfields to attend Eastern Goldfields High School, staying with her grandmother for five years. While living in Boulder she joined Girl Guides Australia where she developed an interest in birds and flowering plants. Choosing a career of teaching she was appointed as monitor teacher at her family town of Kendenup in 1924. After Kendenup, she was transferred to Mount Barker, Dumbleyung and Gnowangerup and in 1927 went to Perth and entered Claremont Teachers College for the required one year of training to become a country teacher. While there she met Dom Serventy and joined the Western Australian Naturalists' Club.
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