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Ross Steele: The Story Behind The Man of Mount Clarance
The remarkable journey of Ross Steele and the man who brought a memorial home, that became a nation’s tribute.
By Tanya McColgan | 17 Nov 2025
Perched on Mount Clarence overlooking the serene sweep of King George Sound, the Avenue of Honour and the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial stand as an enduring symbol of courage, sacrifice and community devotion. Each year, thousands of visitors pause in quiet reflection, their eyes drawn to the bronze cavalry figures that capture the trials and bravery of our ANZACs. Yet behind the beauty and solemnity of this memorial precinct lies a story of vision, determination and an extraordinary human being.
In July 1921, just a few short years after the Great War, the people of Albany sought to honour the ANZACs in a way that was both meaningful and enduring. In the quiet aftermath of conflict, a group of local women took it upon themselves to create a living memorial. Along Middleton Road, they planted 112 trees, each one dedicated with a small metal plaque, to a serviceman who had given his life on a distant battlefield. Each sapling, tenderly placed and nurtured, became a symbol of remembrance, a testament to the devotion, courage and enduring memory.
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At the time of the planting Nurse M. C. Birt penned a poem in commemoration of the planting.
May every leaf on each green tree,
As changing seasons come and go,
Whisper our pride and sympathy
To name plates on their boles below,
And murmur one unending song,
In praise of those who marched along,
Our Avenue of Honour.
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By 1950, some of the trees had succumbed to the harshness of nature and with ongoing development encroaching, the location was becoming less suitable. The Albany Municipal Council decided to remove and store the metal plaques, until a suitable site could be found. Although the memorial faded from public view, the memory of the fallen and the enduring spirit of the ANZACs sacrifice, remained deeply rooted in the heart of the town.
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In February 1952, the Apex Club of Albany was formed and by 1954, under the guidance of its president, John Moyle, the club had set its sights on constructing a road to the summit of Mount Clarence. Moyle, an Albany town councillor at the time, secured council approval for the project on the condition that it would be completed at no cost to the council.
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On 9 October 1954, the proposed site on Mount Clarence was surveyed and two weeks later, Apex members and volunteers assembled. Some arrived with trucks and earthmoving equipment and began the monumental task of carving a road up the dense scrub and granite boulder slope.
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Ross Steele was there throughout the project. Having lost his wife three years earlier, he was living in a retirement home at Emu Point. His war injuries prevented him from taking on heavy physical labour, but he still contributed in every way he could, spending the weekends of the next six months keeping boiling water ready for anyone needing tea or coffee as the road took shape.
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Within a decade, the efforts of Ross Steele, the man behind the Avenue of Honour and a key figure in bringing the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial to Albany, would have through his vision and determination, lead to the creation of a national memorial that far surpassed anything imagined at the time.
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Ross Stewart Steele (1890–1964) was a man drawn to adventure, love and service. Born in Gnosall, Stafford Borough, Staffordshire, England, he worked in a bank for five years after leaving school. Eager to see more of the world, he accepted a position with the Standard Bank of South Africa.
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In 1911, while travelling, he met a businessman who advised him to request a posting to the Cape Town branch. Ross followed his suggestion and after receiving the posting, was invited to dinner where he met, Beatrice Marguerite Le Quesne, a nursing sister at the local hospital. Beatrice had come to Cape Town with her brother after completing her training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. Ross and Beatrice became engaged in 1913.
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In Cape Town, Ross joined the Cape Field Artillery, when he was transferred to Southern Rhodesia in 1914. He resigned from the unit and enlisted with the Southern Rhodesian Volunteers. With Britain declaring war on Germany in August 1914, Southern Rhodesia offered a contingent for service in France, but by late September with plans still incomplete and Ross eager to serve, he secured leave to return to Cape Town and re-enlisted in his old unit.
Ten days later, the battery was ordered to the North Transvaal (now the Limpopo province, north of Pretoria and bordering Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique) as part of General Louis Botha’s column, Botha being the Prime Minister of South Africa at the time. They took part in several engagements connected with the Maritz Rebellion and later in the Orange Free State, an independent Afrikaner (Boer) republic in southern Africa. By June 1915, their mission was complete. Ross later recalled “a number of good scraps,” “great fun,” “long marches on foot, and herding sheep for fresh meat, supplemented by a daily pound of flour.” He also spent time in Tanganyika, a major battleground in the East African Campaign, where Allied forces including South African units fought German troops and their Askari soldiers.
On returned to Cape Town the battery offered to serve in France as a unit. Although this was not possible, they were told that anyone who made it to England would be considered for commissions in the British Army. A few weeks later, Ross and a friend were fortunate enough to be on their way. Within 24 hours of landing, they were commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery, granted ten days’ leave, and posted to a brigade in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Ross had arranged with Beatrice that before his departure, they would wed. The couple were married within a week of her arrival. Just a week later, in November 1915, he left for France. Over the next two years he was granted only 21 days of leave. Beatrice, meanwhile, worked in a London hospital and by fortunate coincidence, was able to take her leave at the same times.
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Ross’s active service came to an end at Passchendaele, Belgium, in 1917, after he suffered severe exposure to mustard gas that badly damaged his lungs. He remained in hospital until the end of that year and was formally discharged from his brigade in April 1919.​
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Returning to South Africa, Ross resumed work with the bank, but after the intensity of the battlefield, he found office work unfulfilling. He and Beatrice took up farming at Koelenhof in the Western Cape Province, employing local labour. In 1922, they moved to Kojonup, Western Australia. Farming, however, proved too strenuous for Ross’s damaged lungs and by the late 1920s he took up work with the Agricultural Bank of Western Australia, later the Rural and Industries Bank as an Inspector and Valuer for the Albany, Tambellup, and Katanning districts.
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Earlier, during the Battle of Arras in 1917, Ross had been tasked with establishing a forward ammunition dump near a former German strongpoint. Among the remnants left behind, he recovered a bronze bell once used by the enemy as a gas alarm. Despite its weight, Ross carried the bell with him to South Africa and later brought it to Western Australia. For many years it sat on the verandah of Ross and Beatrice’s home in Tambellup. In 1933, Ross donated the bronze bell to the RSL for the new Anzac House opened in 1934. It was mounted on the wall facing the bar.
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Based in Tambellup, Ross oversaw land settlements for returned soldiers, introduced new pasture species and quietly shaped the rural landscape. He also served as President of the Tambellup RSL sub branch. In 1946, after 20 years in Tambellup, Ross was transferred by the bank to Katanning. His departure prompted numerous expressions of regret from the local community, who were keen to retain the much loved couple.
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By mid-1947 and in poor health, Ross took long service leave and then retired from the bank, after 21 years of service, where he and Beatrice settled in Albany. His retirement from the Bank was deeply regretted by many farmers in the district, not only because they affectionately liked Ross for who he was, but also for the helpful and conscientious manner in which he performed his duties and how he looked out for fellow farmers and his community.
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Late in 1948, Beatrice suffered a severe heart attack and later passed away on 18 February 1949 at the age of 69. Ross referred to Beatrice as “Tuppence” and as the “perfect partner for 33 years.” The couple had no children, but throughout Beatrice's life, she was active in the Red Cross, Country Women's Association, Church of England, local hospitals and supported the horticultural sections of district shows wherever they lived.​
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As the new road, curved up Mount Clarence, Ross envisioned an Avenue of Honour, a perfect location knowing that incorporating the original metal plaques of Middleton Road, would greatly enhance the significance of the drive. Ross suggested to the Apex Club and asked if they agreed, he would seek the support of the Albany RSL, which they warmly supported Ross’s idea. Mount Clarence after all, overlooks King George Sound, the historic assembly point where on 1 November 1914, the convoy carried the bulk of Australian and New Zealand troops, departed for the Great War.
In just over six months, the road was completed and officially opened on 6 March 1955, before being handed over to the Town of Albany during the Anzac Day weekend that year. This significant undertaking was achieved entirely through volunteer labour by Apex Club members, who devoted countless hours, including working weekends. Many local contractors supported the project and among the biggest contributors were Fred and Brian Bairstow, who generously supplied bulldozers and earth-moving machinery.
Ross eagerly developed a plan for the Avenue of Honour, corresponding with the Director of Kings Park, the Forestry Department and the Hamel nursery. By June 1955, discussions began on the best trees for the site. With the help of the Albany RSL and Apex Club, the ground was prepared, the holes were dug and 200 swamp mahogany gums were planted a year later, completing his vision and a project that was widely embraced by the community.
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Ross coordinated the effort, reaching out to local businesses and community members for materials, advice and manpower. Albany women contributed old stockings, which were used as ties for the saplings, a note records, “17 dozen in 10 days and more coming in” a small but poignant example of the community’s dedication.
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The Avenue of Honour stands as one of the largest community service projects undertaken in Albany and was constructed entirely by volunteers, relying on donated equipment and relentless effort.
Newly planted trees along Apex Drive Memorial Drive to the summit of Mt Clarence, 1956. Source: Albany Historical Society Pictorial Collection, P1990.102 and P1990.106.
AHS P1990.102
AHS P1990.106
After the Avenue of Honour trees were planted, Ross and a small group of devoted veterans spent countless hours advocating, planning and rallying support, determined that the town should have a place worthy of those whose lives had been lost. Week after week, Ross and the veterans, cared for the young trees, nurturing and protecting them as the project gradually grew.
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Ross was deeply unsettled when permission was sought to hold the 1957 “Australian Hill Climb Championship” car race on Apex Drive. He opposed the idea strongly, even when others tried to reassure him by pointing out that Middleton Road had long hosted car and motorcycle races without objection. For Ross, Mount Clarence was not simply a recreational space, it was a memorial and he was fiercely protective of its dignity and purpose. Supporters of the event reminded him that the Apex Club had originally built the drive as a scenic route and tourist attraction, not as a sacred heritage site. Still, Ross held firmly to his concerns. Ultimately, precautions were taken, the memorial trees were securely fenced and the 1957 Australian Hill Climb Championship proceeded without causing any damage. Meanwhile, the ongoing tasks of cutting firebreaks, carrying out maintenance, and planting grass continued as planned.
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The 1956 Suez Crisis had fuelled strong anti-British sentiment in Egypt and by mid-1957 the story took a remarkable turn. News reached Australia that the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial, erected in Port Said, Egypt in 1932, had been severely damaged during civil unrest on 26 December 1956 and placed into storage and with a rare opportunity for its return to Australia, Ross immediately put forward Albany as its new home. He had already identified the ideal setting, a natural hollow near the summit of Mount Clarence which he believed was the rightful resting place for the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial. Yet, despite his conviction, the proposed site sparked significant debate at the time.
Among Ross’s many connections, was Gordon Freeth, the Federal Minister for the Interior and Works, whom Ross had met while working in the Great Southern region. On the 11 September 1957, Ross wrote to Freeth. He informed Freeth that Bill Lonie, State President of the RSL, had suggested the remaining parts of the memorial could be returned and re-erected in Albany.
With the Australian RSL approving Mount Clarence as the site, Ross’s initiative accelerated the pace of correspondence and planning. Through tireless letters and negotiations with officials in Australia, Egypt and New Zealand, he secured approval for the memorial’s relocation to Mount Clarence, a fitting home that overlooks the very waters from which the First Australian and New Zealand troops, had departed in 1914.
Egypt. Port Said & canal zone. Port Said, the Anzac War Memorial. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C
Port Said, ships coming through the canal seen from roof of Palace Casino Hotel, showing war memorial, Australian & New Zealand. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C
​Locals might have assumed that the suitability of Mount Clarence was overwhelmingly obvious, that further persuasion was unnecessary. But Ross, who had once faced combat on the Western Front, understood never to underestimate an opponent and left nothing to chance.
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With Freeth serving as a minister in Canberra and Ross based in Albany, their partnership proved invaluable. It allowed key contacts and influential visitors, particularly New Zealanders, whose support would be vital, to be welcomed, briefed and shown the proposed site. Ross’s experience in both war and peace, his deep understanding of the ANZAC spirit and the cost of war he felt in every breath, gave him a wisdom and quiet authority that earned wide respect. No one was better suited than Ross to guide them and no one could have done it better.​
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On 6 October 1959, almost two years after the idea was first suggested, the decision in favour of Albany was announced, but it was not until the 24 October, that Ross was able to write to Gordon on his “tremendous delight.” Only serious illness could have prevented an early letter from one so punctilious as Ross. The decision itself had required the agreement of the Egyptian government and behind it laid a complex diplomatic story. The official announcement, fittingly acknowledged the strong support of the Albany RSL sub branch, the residents of Albany and the New Zealand Returned Services Association, a testament to the international and community wide commitment that made the memorial’s return possible.
By November 1959, strong arguments were advanced in favour of Canberra. Supporters of Canberra argued that the Duntroon Military College, situated on the outskirts of the city, trained both New Zealand and Australian staff corps cadets, thereby forming a natural link between the two countries. They claimed that re-erecting the Desert Mounted Corps memorial at the War Memorial in Canberra would further strengthen that connection. Freeth, remained firmly opposed to Canberra as the chosen site.
Freeth responsed formally, which was also published in newspapers on 5 November 1959, in which he set out several arguments in Albany’s favour. He noted first that the initiative to remove the memorial from Egypt and re-establish it in Albany had originated with the Returned Soldiers’ League. As Anzac troops had contributed one day’s pay toward the memorial’s original construction, amounting to £5400, the RSL believed it held a special stake in its future. The organisation had also consistently and strongly supported Albany as the most appropriate location.
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Likewise, the New Zealand Returned Services Association expressed strong support for placing the memorial in Albany, noting that Canberra held no particular significance for New Zealand servicemen. Albany, on the other hand, offered a magnificent site that would give the memorial exceptional prominence. In Canberra, it would simply become one memorial among many.
Freeth delivered the final decisive point when he added that Mr Ross Steele of Albany, had been one of the most enthusiastic advocates for re-erection of the memorial there. Steele had identified the likely site, a natural amphitheatre about 50 yards below the “Lookout Rocks”. Since then, he had planted and carefully tended an avenue of trees along the memorial drive leading to the site.
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In March 1960, the MV Jason berthed at the Albany Deepwater Jetty to unload the damaged memorial, that was then stored at the Henry Wills & Co Wool Store. Included in the cargo were 216 granite blocks for its base, quarried at Gabo Island, the closest point in Australia to New Zealand. Local stonemasons, Hartman and Sons, assembled the massive structure, while Melbourne sculptor Raymond Ewers was to rebuild the damaged bronze figures, depicting Australian and New Zealand Light Horsemen confronted by a bursting shell and one horse reared in terror, while the other had been knocked down, struggling to rise as its rider, rifle and bayonet at the ready, faced the enemy alongside his comrade.
AHS P2015.88
Damage Desert Mounted Corps released by the United Arab Republic and being unload from the MV Jason, berthed at the Deepwater Jetty, Albany, March 1960. Source: Albany Historical Society Pictorial Collection, P2015.88
By the time of its relocation, the sculpture was severely damaged, the Australian soldier was missing entirely, the horse’s head gone and the New Zealander and the horses’ legs sawed off. Raymond Ewers faced the daunting task of rebuilding or redesigning the work. He chose a fresh approach while faithfully retaining the original theme. In March 1961, Ewers had his hands full satisfying the demands of numerous onlookers and wrote to Ross, expressing his frustration. Many seemed to believe that because the work received Commonwealth funding, every taxpayer had a right to influence it. Ewers’s noted that most of those inspecting the work would have placed it anywhere but its intended site. Wilfred Kent Hughes (later Sir Wilfred Kent Hughes), the politician set to replace Gordon Freeth in the ministry, thought the new casting should be erected in Canberra, claiming that “no one would see it on a hill, in far off Western Australia.”
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At this time Ewers’s was working to complete a full-sized clay model of the memorial and sought the names of the horses and men used as models in the original. The New Zealand mare was named "Bess" and her rider modelled had been Clutha Mackenzie (later Sir Clutha Mackenzie). The Australian horse was modelled on “Sandy,” the mount of Major General Sir William Bridge and the only horse allowed to return to Australia after the war.
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During the remodelling, Ewers found it necessary to geld Sandy, following Ross’s advice, himself a cavalryman and that no British or Australian cavalry ever used stallions as mounts. For the Australian rider, Ewers selected a face “out of the crowd” and chose Arthur Briant, who had served as a Chief Petty Officer gunnery instructor in the New Zealand Navy and later in the Royal Australian Navy for fifteen years. Arthur was also well known to “Digger” Cleak, O.A.M., the then president of the Albany RSL sub branch.
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Once the clay model was completed, a plaster cast, 12 ft high was made and shipped to Italy, where the renowned founders Battaglia Brothers of Milan undertook the casting in bronze. At the same time, in late March 1961, the base stonework was completed, along with the screen wall, the “whispering wall,” and the forecourt. The breathtaking expanse of the “Sound,” with Michaelmas and Breaksea Islands stretching to the east, unfolded before the visitors.
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Ross spent countless hours on the Avenue of Honour and Desert Mounted Corps Memorial site, letting ideas take shape as he studied the landscape. When the Apex Club were completing the central parking area, he began to imagine a new way for visitors to approach the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial. Rather than relying solely on the existing curved drive that linked the two levels, he envisioned a direct pedestrian route from the car park to the memorial itself. He pictured a granite stairway rising toward the site, offering visitors an immediate, unobstructed view of the striking bronze figures, the 216 granite blocks forming their base, and the engraved stone bearing the inscription: “AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND 1916–1918.”
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In correspondence with Gordon Freeth, Ross secured an additional grant for what became known as “The Approach Walk.” The detailed plans initially included a handrail on only one side of the stairway, as a cost saving measure. Ross, drawing on the quiet authority, insisted that for many of his generation a second handrail was far from ornamental. His insistence prevailed, the plans were amended and the walk was completed in January 1963.
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The stairway was carefully aligned along a direct line from the peak of Mount Clarence to Michaelmas Island, historically significant as the central point of the three lines where troop transports assembled in King George Sound in late October 1914, a subtle but powerful link connecting the memorial to the very history it commemorates.​
The Approach Walk. Source: Albany Historical Society Pictorial Collection, P94.2252
AHS P94.252
The unveiling of the Desert Mounted Corps unveiling, 11 October 1964. Source: Australian War Memorial.
The Desert Mounted Corps Memorial was officially unveiled on 11 October 1964 at the summit of Mount Clarence by Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, in front of a crowd of several thousand people. Among those present were nearly 200 World War I veterans, including a 60 Light Horse Brigade guards of honour, as well as distinguished guests from across the Commonwealth and interstate. The memorial replica of the original Port Said statue, stands on its re-erected granite base, salvaged from the Suez Crisis and bears the inscription “Australia and New Zealand 1916–1918.”
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The Desert Mounted Corps Memorial honours Australian and New Zealand soldiers who served and died in Egypt, Palestine and Syria during World War One. Often referred to as the Light Horse Memorial, it commemorates the men of the Australian Light Horse Brigade, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, the Imperial Camel Corps and the Australian Flying Corps who fought between 1916 and 1918. The memorial has been officially recognised as a Military Memorial of National Significance under the Military Memorials of National Significance Act 2008. The damaged Desert Mounted Corps Memorial original bronze casting that was located in Port Said, Egypt, is at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
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Sadly, Ross Steele passed away on 17 March 1964, seven months before the official unveiling of the memorial he had worked so tirelessly to create. Incredibly, he even used his own money to support the project, once remarking with his characteristic humour, “there’s nothing like going broke for a good cause.” His passing brought profound sorrow and heartbreak to all who knew him.
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Ross devoted 40 years of loyal and unwavering service to the RSL, a commitment honoured with a Certificate of Service from the State Executive. His contributions have been recognised with deep respect by the Albany RSL, both inside, where his name is displayed at the entrance to the meeting rooms and outside, where the Ross Steele Memorial Rose Garden stands in his memory.
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His vision, perseverance and unwavering commitment to honouring Albany and the ANZACs’ history were the driving force behind the memorial, the Avenue of Honour and the Desert Mounted Corps walk sites of enormous historical and symbolic significance. It was not until 1998 that Apex addressed, that there was nothing to indicate or explain the history of the drive, how the Avenue of Honour and Memorial Walks were established, or how the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial had been returned to Australia and carefully reinstalled on this remarkable site.
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Apex placed a plaque on the base of the Desert Mount Corps Memorial that reads as follows: Apex Drive - Leads to the re-constructed Desert Mounted Corps Memorial first erected at Port Said but desecrated during the brief Egyptian Suez War in 1956. The memorial was rescued and returned to Australia in 1959. The memorial walk stairs were built and financed by the Federal Government at the request of Mr. Ross Steele of the Albany Sub Branch of the RSL. The significance of the placement of the Desert Mounted Corps Memorial is that it overlooks the assembly place and point of departure on 1 November 1914 and 31 December 1914 also the first and second convoys taking Australian and New Zealand soldiers to World War One. Had Apex Drive not been built by the Apex Club this memorial would probably have been erected in Canberra. Donations will further the development.
A book by David Bird, Albany resident and custodian of Apex records, gives very substantial credit to Ross Steele for the enormous role he played in the whole development.
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Today, Ross’s legacy endures with profound strength, felt not only in the engraved stone, but in the hearts of the community and the countless visitors moved by the place he helped shape. His work created a sanctuary of reflection, gratitude and remembrance, where the spirit of service and sacrifice is honoured every day. Because of Ross’s devotion, future generations will come to understand the immense cost borne by the ANZACs and all who served. For that gift, we owe him our lasting respect, our gratitude and a debt that time can never diminish.
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AHS P2014.108
Construction of the Desert Mounted Corps Memoriall on the summit of Mt Clarence, 1964. Source: Albany Historical Society Pictorial Collection, P2014.01, P2014.108, P97.106, P2014.04.
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AHS P97.106
Acknowledgement: The Albany Historical Society would like to acknowledge Mr. Rodney Halcome, whose moving, in-depth papers on Ross Steele provided thorough, insightful and deeply respectful accounts, clearly revealing his profound regard for Ross Steele and his understanding of the events. His documentation, enabled the AHS team to search, source and verify significant information. Mr Halcome during the time of compiling his papers, contacted Digger Cleak (O.A.M), the then president of the RSL sub branch. Mr Clerk advised that "he was perfectly aware that Ross had not only been the man behind the Avenue of Honour, but was very instrumental in getting the re-worked memorial to the WWI, Desert Mounted Corps re-erected on Mt Clarance." Mr. Cleak provided Rodney copies of letters, Ross had filed with the Albany RSL sub branch.