Passing of a

Pamela, Lady Vestey with Lilydale and District

A tribute by Sue Thompson,
HOW, in just a couple of hundred words, do you pay tribute to a person who touched so many lives throughout almost 93 years?
Every person who came into contact with Pamela Helen Fullerton Melba Vestey (nee Armstrong) has a different recollection about her, but everyone was struck with her quiet, dignified and unassuming manner.
Unlike her famous, but much-loved granny Dame Nellie Melba, Pamela shunned the limelight and preferred to do things her way – quietly, without any fuss and bother but in a determined manner.
Through her support Melba’s legacy continues today. In 1978 Pamela generously donated many of Melba’s costumes, accessories and gowns to the then newly-established Performing Arts Museum in Melbourne and was for many years serving on the council of the Dame Nellie Melba Conservatorium, now the Dame Nellie Melba Opera Trust.
However, Pamela’s love of Coldstream and the Yarra Valley saw her generously support and champion many local organisations – the Yering Primary School, which both she and her sons Sam and Mark attended; the Coldstream Fire Brigade; the Lilydale Red Cross; Tullamore Aged Care; and the Lilydale and District Historical Society, of which she was a life member and its patron.
There was also her involvement in the society’s museum, now the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum to which Pamela donated many valuable items of Melba memorabilia.
Pamela’s support took many forms – taking along a plate of sandwiches, making cups of tea in the kitchen after a meeting to opening the gardens of her beloved Coombe Cottage to the public.
Throughout the years, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised through Pamela’s generosity yet she did not want to take the credit. Her satisfaction was being able to help a worthy, local cause.
When holding a function, nothing escaped Pamela’s attention, from making sure the garden was perfect to ordering the portable conveniences.
People fascinated Pamela, be they children, young mums or the elderly, and she enjoyed their company and welcomed them warmly when they visited her at Coombe. The garden, the environment, animals, family, local council politics and local happenings were among the many topics discussed at Coombe and Pamela always contributed her own view on them all.
Pamela left a lasting impression on everyone she met. None of us will forget her and her contribution to making the district a better place for us all. That is her lasting legacy, and a legacy I think she would be proud of.