Pam Galeano

Pam was born in Atherton, a central township on the Atherton Tableland, in tropical north Queensland.  She completed her early education in her home town and her secondary education at boarding school in Herberton.  The long quiet night hours at her boarding school may well have encouraged an already active imagination to roam wider and deeper. Having been awarded a teaching scholarship, Pam went on to graduate from Kedron Park Teachers' College in Brisbane as a Primary teacher, achieving her highest marks in Speech & Drama.

In 1967 Pam married canefarmer Joe Galeano and settled at Lower Tully where they raised two children.  They now have two grandchildren.  While at home with young children Pam studied literature externally through the University of Queensland. She began choosing books for her children with a more discerning eye. 

During those years Pam became involved in all aspects of her local theatre group from choosing plays, acting, directing to designing costumes, makeup and sets.  Over the years Pam has directed and/or acted in many productions in the far north from one act plays at Drama Festivals to theatre restaurant comedies and Christmas pantomimes. In 1988 Pam directed and acted in an official Australian Bicentennial production of Lawler's 'Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'.

Always a nature lover, Pam became interested in environmental issues through her husband Joe.  She helped with his successful campaigns to have the ecologically important Mt Coom area declared National Park, and for Barramundi Closed Season legislation.

In 1991 Joe embarked on a 16-year career as a Cardwell Shire councillor culminating in a 4 year term as mayor.  Pam helped with political campaigns, speech writing etc.  She also photographed events like the CSC Senior Citizens Awards.  In 2003 Joe and Pam represented the Cardwell Shire at the official signing of the Sister Cities agreement with S Alfio and Piedemonti- Etneo in Sicily.

Pam has a 30 year service medal from Education Queensland.  During her career she taught all primary levels but requested, and was usually allocated, infant levels.  She served the last 15 years of her teaching life with young children at the small school of Lower Tully where she enjoyed concentrating on smaller groupings.  Pam loves children and believes that education should be fun.  Her passion for the arts shone through in her teaching.

In 1999 Pam retired from teaching to become a writer for children and to spend time on photography - mainly nature close-ups.  Accordingly she undertook a 6-month correspondence course in children's writing from the Australian College of Journalism, commencing Jan 2000 and requiring fortnightly assignments.  She completed the course and received a diploma in children's writing.

The Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland employed Pam to write the information booklet for an education kit about the endangered Mahogany Glider.  The timeframe for this job was also Jan/Jun 2000, so it is not surprising that one of the assignments lodged for the course was a picture book text called 'Glissandra the Glider'.  Pam titled the education kit 'Mahogany Glider: Rescue the Ropedancer'.  It was issued to all primary schools in the habitat area and officially launched by Queensland's minister for the environment.

Throughout 2001 Pam spent much time as volunteer publicity officer on the CSC Centenary of Federation Celebrations Committee.  She devised and scripted the official ceremony for Tully, featuring a song for which she wrote the lyrics - 'Dance in my Thongs'.  Pam also collated much of the material used in the time capsule, having photographed the celebrations in Cardwell, Tully and Mission Beach.

Pam has won a few prizes at Tully Shows for her photography and she won the photography section of the Cardwell Art Prize 2008.

In 2004 Pam became a founding member of the local writing group 'Licuala Writers'.  This group wrote a short play script entitled 'Alice in Waterland' specifically to culminate CRACA's Mission Beach Aquatic Festival Parade 2006 when the theme was 'The Mad Hatter's Tea Party'.

CRACA stands for Cassowary Region Arts Council Association Inc, and Pam is vice president.  CRACA especially promotes community arts and collaboration among artists working in different art forms.

In April 2008, along with illustrator Daryl Dickson, Pam self-published her first fiction - a picture book 'Glissandra the Glider'.  Artists are currently working on illustrations for two more of Pam's picture book texts.  Some poems and a chapter book text for 8-year-olds sit on Pam's computer and lots of ideas float in her head.          

Many things inform and shape an artist’s life - family, experience, environment, theatre, community - Pam’s life has been rich and this is reflected in her work be that photography, drama or writing.

Pamela A Galeano

pm2gano@qld.chariot.net.au