PERRIN, Patricia “Pam” 14.08.47 ~ 30.10.16. Aged 69 years.
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Pam Perrin was the devoted wife of Ross (dec), a devoted and much loved mother and mother-in-law to Julie and Scott, Fiona, Tanya and Duncan, Aaron and Aimi, Joann and Alex, Karli and Ricki, and Leo.
An adored ‘granny’ to Craig, Kyan, Josh, Sophie and Joshua.
Her family described her as a “wonderful, caring, giving soul, taken too soon”.
Pam, who was a well-known family day carer, passed away from cancer earlier this month. Relatives and friends celebrated and remembered her during a funeral service at the Bellingen Uniting Church Hall on Tuesday, November 8.
Now, her long-standing employee and one of her day care mums, tells how this special lady helped create this wonderful community we live in:
Open Arms Care
Pam Perrin was one of Open Arms Care’s longest serving Family Day Care Educators, providing wonderful care to many children and families over a 24 year period.
She was a gifted educator with the passion and dedication to educate young children’s minds, and could often be seen singing with the children within the Bellingen Community. Pam was a valuable mentor to the other Family Day Care Educators, with whom she shared her wealth of knowledge about children’s development
The Board and the staff of OAC’s Children’s Services were all saddened by the passing of Pam Perrin on Sunday, October 30, 2016.
Pam will be missed greatly by everyone who knew her.
Open Arms Care extends its condolences to Pam’s family.
Letter to the Perrin Family
A letter to the Perrin family from one of the mums who had her children at Pam’s day care:
“Hi Tanya and family – I am so sad that the contribution of Pam to so many families in Bellingen was not acknowledged at her funeral today. I would have been privileged to speak of the contribution she made to the lives of our family, and so many others in Bellingen had I known that no-one else was doing this.
“I know it’s a bit late but if you could read this out to family and friends I would be grateful. I think I am writing this on behalf of all the children and families for whom Pam was such an important part of our lives ...
“To describe Pam as a Family Day Carer underestimates the personal connection she had with what must have been hundreds of children over 20 years of dedicated service to Bellingen Family Day Care. To those hundreds of children and families she was their beloved Pammie.
“We wanted our girls to be with Pam from the beginning – she had a great reputation in the community already – and we felt so fortunate that she had a space available when our first child was six-months-old. I remember taking her round for a visit. Obviously, as it was the first time I was leaving her, I offered to stay for half an hour to make sure she settled in.
“She turned her back on me, crawled to the other side of the toy room, and what a toy room, and didn’t look back! I think she could sense that with Pam taking care of her, everything was going to be just fine!
She bestowed the best possible care on all the children she looked after and they loved her for it. They were all treated the same. Her kind, consistent and loving nature was respected by the children and admired by many parents.
“Parents would comment that their children wouldn’t sleep/eat/take shoes off/wear a hat at home but at Pam’s they just fell into line. Her expectations were high and she never needed to raise her voice, get angry with them and in the years my children were there, I never heard her lose it once!
“In fact, when at home with my children I used to try and channel my inner Pam to stay calm and considered in any challenging situation, and I am sure she has been as much of an influence on me and other parents as she has been on our children.
“It wasn’t just parents and families that held her in such high regard. I know from conversations with people from the Family Day Care office that they had such respect for Pam and could only dream of having many more Family Day Carers in the area like her.
“She was also admired by her peers both for her longevity and her stamina (apart from a back injury endured by vacuuming, I don’t remember her ever having a day off because she was unwell).
“I recommended her to so many people over the years but given her popularity, people weren’t as fortunate as I had been. People from the community with no personal connection to Pam and who knew her from her trips to town, the park, playgroup and the library with the children always referred to her fondly as Mother Duck and her little ducklings.
“It has been remarkable how many people have been upset at hearing the sad news of her passing. She really did touch a lot of people’s lives and will be sorely missed in town.
“The sight of Pam and up to five children all holding hands,walking in time, wearing their hats as they crossed the road or walked to the post office to post some letters will remain with me forever and will always make me smile.
“It has been suggested by another Pam fan that we should acknowledge the contribution she has made to this community publically by way of a memorial of some sort.
“We will talk to you (the family) about this sometime over a cuppa and if you and the family think it would be appropriate or something she would want (she was very no fuss but as you said today, she did display the large number of certificates she received on the kitchen wall).
“I am so grateful that not only did I know her, but that she was such an important part of our family. We probably wouldn’t have survived as well without the consistency Pammie brought to our lives. I know she lived a great life with her family at the forefront, followed by her sport and travel.
“We will remember her for her personal qualities; her strength, her kindness and her desire for the great experiences in life. I know she knew that she was dearly loved by our family as I told her regularly and am so glad I did now as losing her so suddenly makes you realise the importance of telling people you love them regularly as you never know how many more chances you might have.
“We love you always Pammie.”
PAM PERRIN’S STORY
As part of a Seniors Week feature, the Bellingen Shire Courier-Sun ran this article on Pam. Many thanks to Bellingen Shire Council, and in particular, Anna Joy.
Pam Perrin has been nominated for this feature by Jude Grantham of Open Arms Care Inc. for her 23 years of service as a Family Educator with Family Day Care in Bellingen.
Says Jude “Pam has been a supportive mentor for many families over this time and has provided excellent childcare for children under school age”.
In addition, Pam is an active sportswoman and plays competitive tennis and squash for Bellingen.
Born in Scotland and one of fifteen children, Pam finished her schooling and worked in retail before coming over to Australia with her brother. Boarding in Ashfield, it was here that she met her husband to be, Ross.
Ross was a professional AFL player and introduced Pam to the game. After marrying in Wollongong, they lived in Kingswood and had six children before deciding to move up to Bellingen in 1983 when Ross bought an undertakers business in the town.
After initially helping Ross with the business and supporting her children through primary and high school, she approached Family Day Care after talking to a neighbour who was providing this service from her home. A phone call was made and Pam started caring for children the next day!
Pam has looked after hundreds of children over the years, many of whom are now in their 20s.
She visited places including Alaska, Europe, China and New Zealand.
Pam believed it is important to do things you enjoy and she always enjoyed looking after children from the time she started babysitting as a girl.
She has made great friends through Family Day Care over the years and seen many changes not least the increase in rules and regulations. Jude has known Pam for many years and acknowledges that “she was a wonderful role model”.