Page 30 - OM Newsletter - Issue 44 - 2020

EOG OBITUARIES
We print below a tribute to Pam Binyon, Headmistress of Ellerslie School 1974-88, written by her lifelong friend,
Eileen Crewdson.
I knew Pam all my life. Just a little older than me, we lived on the Hereford Road, Pam at no.7 and I lived at no.9. Pam’s father ran Bromyard’s local store. A gap in the fences between our houses meant that Pam could come and see me. Later on, at the start of the war, Pam’s parents built an air raid shelter and we used to sneak in there when we could unnoticed because we weren’t supposed to go in there. Looking back it was very uncom- fortable, just planks of wood to sit on and no mod cons but great to play in, especially when we weren’t meant to. At the outbreak of war, when Westminster School evacuated to Bro- myard, Pam took lessons with the governess of the Headmaster’s children.
They were later joined by Vanessa Redgrave who was sent with her nanny to live at White- gates, the home of her mother’s aunt, Miss Lucy Kempson. Sometimes Vanessa’s par- ents came to stay at Whitegates and Pam remembered being taken to school by no less than Sir Michael Redgrave, who was in the Royal Navy. During the war I remember Pam participating in concerts in the then Church In- stitute, reciting poems.
Pam then went to Alice Ottley School in Worcester from where, aged 10, she was nearly expelled! She claimed to have seen God! However, she was permitted to stay on. Pam was very clever and she worked hard at school from where she gained a much prized State Scholarship to St Hugh’s, Oxford where she gained a degree in Theology. After uni- versity Mission was what Pam wanted to do, so she joined the Sudan United Mission do- ing teacher training in Joss, Nigeria. This she did for several years until she had to return to England as her mother, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, was becoming increasingly
frail. Pam worked first of all at Queen Eliza- beth School in Bromyard, then at Malvern Girls’ College where she led a team doing ex- perimental worship. From there she became Headmistress at Ellerslie.
A popular Head, much in the founder’s tradi- tion - Miss Sayle’s two sisters were mission- aries - Pam gave the school good leadership: ‘She was always fair.’ ‘She was a brilliant teacher, I took my O level Religious Studies a year early, had good marks, and was so proud.’ ‘Miss Binyon saw a problem and dealt with it.’ About death, ‘she told us she would be rejoicing in Heaven.’
At Ellerslie reunions her girls sought her out and there was always a group of her ex-stu- dents around her. Pam did not indulge in fa- vourites. This is why she was a popular Head with both girls and staff. All her life she saw the very best in people whatever their academic ability.
With a degree in theology It was natural for Pam on retirement to become a Lay Reader. Her father had been a Churchwarden in St Pe- ter’s, Bromyard for many years. Pam was un- stinting in taking services at the local nursing homes where she always made sure everyone who was able to participate did so. Pam took Holy Communion to those who wished to take it, and, apart from regularly taking Evensong, carol services and funerals and preaching, for which she was well qualified.
Not so long ago I visited a mutual friend in Highwell House Nursing Home to find Pam was there, about to start Holy Communion. Pam invited me to join them and I witnessed the wonderful care and consideration Pam gave. This was inspiring. Pam gave so much to comfort those in need and she was so good at it.
Then there is ‘Food for All’, Pam’s original idea. In this Christian bookshop there was always a warm welcome. Pam started this shop soon after she retired from Ellerslie. Over the years this successful Christian book shop has found voluntary work and companionship for many people in the area. It also became the Church office and information centre. It thrives and is
now one of the longest established shops in Bromyard. It is a real credit to Pam who was patient and a natural at nurturing staff.
When I think of Pam, I remember the words ‘Whose I am and Whom I serve’ and ‘Who most has served in greatest’, the Ellerslie motto. The Alice Ottley motto was ‘Fair and straight’; Pam lived up to these mottos all her life, as if they were especially for her. Ser- vice and Fairness. Pam was always fair and straightforward, serving the Lord all her life, even at times when it was certainly not com- fortable, fair or easy. But as ever, she saw the very best in people and continued to serve to the very best of her ability. Pam was a very special Christian, leading by example. Very clever, very loyal, always fair and friendly. We will all miss her friendship and leadership very much and Bromyard will be much the poorer without her.
Amber Schothorst (1980-82) Amber came into the Sixth Form in 1980 from Brazil, dear- ly missing her friends, the sun and the care- free lifestyle. Amber stood out in Ellerslie with her exceptional amount of energy. I remem- ber her as being lively, bouncy, even boister- ous at times. No need to say that she was very sporty, but Amber also loved literature and recommended some books to me. She and her parents welcomed groups of girls to spend the visiting weekend at their home in Gloucestershire on several occasions. I recall scrambling down to the River Severn through thorny undergrowth, eating brambles on the way. Amber got a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Buckingham and had a daughter, Sibylle. In her posts on social media, Amber gave detailed illustrations of her activ- ities in recent years: she walked the Camino de Santiago with a friend and described steep climbs, blisters, bad weather and sunny days, finally reaching the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. She got her license as a person- al trainer, actively promoted the young runners in Gosport, Hampshire and coached people who started running or who were planning to do major runs. With her partner she restruc- tured and renovated an old house. Amber loved that house and died there on Septem- ber 21 2020, aged 56.
Anke McMillan
30 | Old Malvernian Newsletter