Pam and I first met when we started senior school aged 11. By chance we were in the same class. Despite our appearance being so different; Pam tall, slim with her amazing big blonde hair; and me short with fine cropped hair, we soon became best friends.


We shared the same dry sense of humour, but were also extremely conscientious and studied hard to obtain top grades. Being Taureans, just 13 days between our birthdays, we had similar personalities - both strong willed, organised and hard working. Amazingly we have never had an argument.


Fortunately we lived just over a mile apart so could easily walk to each other’s houses. On our way home from school we would often stop halfway between our homes at Riddles Road, and spend ages just chatting and laughing as good friends do.


There are so many happy memories of our years at senior school. Although we were both creative neither of us were particularly good at art. In our 2nd year art exam we sat side by side at our easels and both opted for the title “roofs” as it meant we did not have to draw people! To add some interest to my rather bland painting I decided to add some snow. Unfortunately my flicks of white paint also landed on Pam’s picture. Rather than get cross she loaded her brush with white and added snow to hers. That is the sort of friend she was, always caring and thoughtful. It came as a great surprise when Pam came 1st and me 2nd. Of course we joked that without ‘Pam’s snow’ mine would have come 1st.


We were delighted to be in the same school house - Dover, and in the 5th form we planned house assemblies together. Although, at that time Pam was not very sporty, she became Deputy House Sports Captain for her organisational skills. I remember helping her meticulously plan Sports Day.


Needless to say, once old enough to have Saturday jobs, at 15, we both worked in the same place. It was at a local supermarket called Pricerite where we we packed customers’ bags at the tills. We always applied for holiday jobs at the same place. One summer we decided to try strawberry picking. Pam, with her very fair skin, developed a prickly heat rash and only lasted one morning, while I managed to survive a whole day!! Another time we got a summer job at Warner’s Holiday Camp on the Isle of Sheppey. On the first day we were assigned different tasks which did not please us. Pam was in the gift shop and I was sent to clean chalets. After a few days we decided to leave! We had more success at the local Jubilee Clip factory where we worked whilst studying for A levels. That was a real education and such a good laugh!!


It was no surprise that we decided to teach as both of us had been Sunday School teachers, Pam at the Congregational Church in Sittingbourne, and me at my village church. Our plan was to go to the same College of Education but disappointingly that did not happen. Pam went to train at Stockwell to specialise in Geography and Secondary education. I went to Eastbourne and focussed on Early Years.


Distance did not put an end to our friendship and we always kept in touch. It was Pam who started our black and white postcard “joke”. The idea was to hunt out and send each other the oldest and most tasteless cards we could find on our holidays. We continued this for decades and looked forward to receiving each other’s.


With the pressures of a busy teaching career and raising families it meant that we saw each other less often. Coincidentally we both had a daughter and a son. However, once retired we started meeting up again. It was just like the old days - chatting and laughing non stop!!


I feel so blessed to have had Pam as my best friend for so long. She was such an amazing person; caring, generous, kind, intelligent and with the most incredible sense of humour. A real and rare gem.


Rest in peace my dear friend Pam. You will be greatly missed and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Tina X