Pamela Donald
1958-1960
Did you know that Pamela is an accomplished author? Click the link above to go to her website and learn more. She writes for adults and children on varied subjects - fiction and non-fiction - and has won many awards. Her site is impressive so I recommend a visit there. You WILL find a book to interest you. If not on Gallipoli, or Steve Irwin, then what about 'First Journeys'? A book on the travels of Thor Heyerdahl, Charles Kingsford Smith, Valentina Tereshkova and others.
Books can be purchased via Booktopia or Amazon.
- children’s books (fiction and non-fiction)
- young adult novels
- television, video and audio scripts
- short stories and freelance journalism
- radio and television commercials
- multimedia
Update Bio
My sister
Lyn and I started as two of the very first students at the RAAF School.
We went to Penang in 1958 with our father, Sgt Ray Donald and mother, Daphne Donald.
There was no school at first, we did Qld Correspondence at home for a few months,
then a meeting was called of mothers who had been teachers - our mother was one
of these. As a result, the school in Residency Road was opened, staffed by mothers.
Teachers came from Australia, I think, the following year. I remember a big thrill
was getting a choice of flavours for our daily milk - and it was actually cold!!
We
stayed at the Australian Hostel for a few weeks, then had temporary accommodation
in Hock Hin Terrace (big Chinese cemetery behind us) and finally lived in Reservoir
Crescent, Ayer Itam.
I remember my parents playing competitive badminton,
their team was the Ayer Rajahs. And going for picnics at Batu Ferringhi when there
were no buildings there at all - just a beautiful beach.
Teachers I remember
were Mr Lyons, Mr McLaughlin, Miss Horne and Miss Bamberger. And Mr Christian,
who also ran the Junior Red Cross, which I belonged to.
Schoolfriends: Cheryl
Lindsay, Jayne Ross, Jenny Gammon, Caroline Tooth, Tina Collis, Lesley Jenner
... it's been a thrill to see some of them in photos on the website!
Added 7/5/13
At the Penang 2010 reunion I was delighted to meet up with my old schoolfriend, Jennifer Gammon. My name then was Pamela Donald. Jenny's family lived just up the road from us, in Reservoir Crescent, Ayer Itam, and we travelled to the old school in Residency Road by bus every day. We were there from 1958-60, some of the earliest arrivals. My husband and I had a great week with Jenny and her partner. We went to Reservoir Crescent and found our old houses - they hadn't changed much. No one was at home at mine, but the owners of Jenny's old house kindly invited us in. What a blast from the past. Especially the Red Cardinal polish on the concrete floors! They didn't speak English and we didn't speak Chinese, but we made ourselves understood.
Hope there'll be another reunion in 2015!