Greendale had its friendly, well-known Postman Pat, and Camber had its friendly, well-known Postie Pam whose last working day was June 25 before taking her well-deserved
retirement.
Local Whitesand resident, Lee Bamsey arranged a collection on behalf of some very
appreciative residents to thank Pam and wish her well for the future. She has become a pillar of the community, always with a smile, come rain or shine she has been reliable, professional and friendly – and we will miss her! Fortunately, Pam as a resident of Camber, will not be gone for good and no doubt we will bump into her locally now she is retired.
Pam Atkinson originally came from Middlesborough. She was an athlete and competed in long distance running for Yorkshire and Durham County. In 1979 she decided to join the Royal Mail and took on her first role as a postwoman.
It was on holiday at Pontins in Camber that she met her now husband Peter, who ran the Camber TV Centre and who is currently Camber Deputy Parish Chairman. They fell in love and Pam arranged for a transfer to the Royal Mail Rye to be with Peter in March 1980. At the time, Pam had a place at university to train to be a PE teacher, but having met Peter her plans turned to moving to Camber and PE teacher training was put on hold.
Pam has loved her job – so dedicated that on automatic pilot she recalls she once even woke up early one Sunday, put on her uniform only for her husband to remind her that she did not need to actually go to work on a Sunday! As well as Camber, Pam has worked as Postie in Northiam, Beckley, Icklesham, Rye, Brede both with the van and on foot. It’s clearly what keeps her looking so young and fit – she says now is the right time for her to stop work, so she can participate on much-loved outdoor activities still using her knees and hips before they get too worn down!
Living and working with some wonderful colleagues and friendly residents in Camber has been an absolute pleasure for Pam. Over the years she has seen positive changes in the village which has grown. Mostly she has had good experiences in her career despite on one occasion being badly attacked by a dog and missing a house porch collapse on her by five minutes – luckily, she’s still with us to tell the tale! She says she will especially miss the residents and their dogs, (the friendly ones that is!).
In her retirement Pam is looking forward to helping out behind the scenes of her daughter and son-in-law’s children’s party business, OMG Children’s Parties, which is very popular and based in Camber. She will also enjoy walking on the beach, gardening, travelling, and spending more time with Peter, their three children, three grandchildren and three Pomeranian dogs. Pam and Peter have taken evening classes in photography and soon plan to submit a stunning local scenic photo for Rye News!
Image Credits: Amanda English .