Rotary Honour for Hills Community Champion

by Greg Martin

To Rotarians around the world, being named a Paul Harris Fellow is one of the highest honours a member can receive comparable to a Victoria Cross for valour, an Academy Award, a Nobel Peace Prize or soccer’s Ballon d’Or.

Paul Harris was the American lawyer who founded the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905. Today, Rotary has grown to more than 45,000 clubs across over 200 countries, with approximately 1.2 million members worldwide.

A Paul Harris Fellowship recognises outstanding service, dedication to the Rotary ideals of “Service Above Self”, and a commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others.

By those standards, Pam Wilson is a most deserving recipient.

At a recent presentation evening hosted by the Hills-Kellyville Rotary Club, Pam was awarded Rotary International’s highest honour in recognition of her decades of service to the community.

Anyone familiar with the saying, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person,” would immediately understand why Pam was selected.

A long-time Rotarian, Pam has also served as secretary of the Hills District Historical Society for an incredible 33 years. During that time, she has co-authored several local history publications and become well known for her engaging presentations on the district’s rich heritage.

She also conducts tours of the society’s museum and the historic Masonic School precinct for school students and community groups.

And that is only part of the story.

Pam is also a member of the Castle Hill Heritage Park Committee, the Convict Trail Committee, Baulkham Hills Probus Club and the Dural and District Garden Club. She is president of the North Rocks VIEW Club and a life member of The National Trust of NSW.

It is little wonder this remarkable woman manages to keep herself constantly busy.

Pam was born in 1952 and grew up as the only child of Ada and Bob Gebhardt, who settled in Concord West before later moving to West Pennant Hills.

She describes both her parents as inspirational role models.

“Mum was the perfect mother, and Dad was one of my heroes,” Pam said.

“Dad was a boilermaker-welder by trade, and I always admired his work ethic. He served in New Guinea during World War II as a very young man and thankfully returned home to live a fulfilling life.”

Pam began her schooling at West Pennant Hills Public School before becoming one of the first students to attend the newly opened Castle Hill High School in 1964.

It was there her lifelong commitment to community service began. The following year, she became treasurer of the school’s Interact Club Rotary’s youth service organisation aimed at developing leadership and community involvement among young people.

After completing her Higher School Certificate with outstanding results in 1970, Pam received two scholarship offers before choosing to study at Macquarie University, where she completed a four-year teaching degree.

It was also at university where she met her future husband, Craig Wilson, who was studying economics.

“At first, I thought he was a bit of a pest,” Pam laughed. “But I soon realised what a wonderful person he was, and before long love and marriage followed.”

The couple later welcomed daughters Kate and Anne, who in turn gave Pam and Craig grandchildren Alicia and Toby.

Sadly, Craig passed away in 2004 after battling lung cancer.

“He never smoked a cigarette in his life,” Pam said. “It was passive smoking that ended his life.”

Pam’s teaching career began at the William Thompson Masonic School in Baulkham Hills — a site that now serves as the Hills District Historical Society museum.

She later taught for four years at the newly opened Windsor High School before stepping away from full-time teaching in 1979 following the birth of her first child.

“At that time, mothers were expected to return to work within three months of giving birth, but I wanted to focus on raising my family,” she said.

Pam continued teaching as a highly regarded casual teacher at a number of schools, including regular stints at Cheltenham Girls High School and Baulkham Hills High School.

“I became a Jill-of-all-subjects teacher,” she said. “But my main areas were social sciences and history.”

Her teaching career concluded in 2007, allowing her to devote even more time to her passion for history and travel.

That passion has taken Pam across Australia and around the world, including Europe, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Japan, India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

As legendary Daily Mirror editor “Sitting” Pat Farrell once famously observed: “People love nothing better than learning about old things old buildings, old stories and old people. They love history.”

Pam Wilson certainly agrees and thanks to her tireless efforts, countless others across The Hills have been able to share in that passion too.

PHOTO: Craig and Pam Wilson on their wedding day.

MAIN PHOTO: Pam Wilson proudly poses with her coveted Paul Harris Fellowship certificate. Photo: Kathryn Johnston.