Vale Pamela Smith

Pamela Joyce Smith, a former long term resident of the Strathfield district, died in March 2026 in her 97th year.

Born in 1929 in a private maternity hospital in Rushcutters Bay she was the first-born child of May Forrester (née Brandon) and her husband William. Her parents lived in the Claud Hamilton designed block of mansion flats Tennyson House in Darlinghurst. Pam’s grandparents Gordon and Ada Brandon owned the entire building and many of her extended family lived in those flats. Her father was a real estate agent having bought the first Richard Stanton franchise in Neutral Bay.

From 1932 until 1935, the worst years of the Great Depression, Pam, her parents and younger sister left Sydney to live at Resthaven, the Brandon family holiday house on Scotland Island.

In 1936 when the world’s economy was getting back to normal the Forrester’s moved to the Strathfield district. This was Pam’s first real connection to the suburbs that played such a big part in her life.

Her parents lived in Bates Avenue and her godfather Bill Cutcliffe was the pharmacist in Rochester Street Homebush. Billy Forester and Billy Cutcliffe forged a lifetime friendship when they were in the same class at Sydney Grammar School.

Most of Pam’s teenage years were spent in Cootamundra in the Riverina District. When the family returned to Sydney in 1946 they lived next door to her Forrester maiden aunts in Cremorne.

Pam’s first job after leaving school was at AWA in York Street Sydney where her first boyfriend was Homebush identity Rex Vidler. From AWA Pam moved on to became Nurse Forrester at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital. At RPA Pam met the tall and imposing Bruce St John Smith. In 1951 she married Dr BJ Smith at St Clement’s Anglican Church in Mosman.

Her husband had a few years in general practice in Auburn before moving to the doctor’s residence in Noble Avenue Strathfield. BJ Smith, who ultimately became a cardiac physician, and Pam raised five children. Gordon and David Smith started school with Kathleen Wyndham at Wadham in Wallis Avenue Strathfield.

After Wyndham sold Wadham to Meriden Sally, Sara and Scott commenced their schooling there. Her daughters were lifers at Meriden in Strathfield but her sons finished their schooling at Newington College in Stanmore.

When Pam lived in a Thomas Sampson designed house in Wallis Avenue with her husband and five children she was actively involved in P&F activities at Meriden. By the time she moved with her family to an Joseph Alexander Kethel designed house in Meredith Street Homebush, she had become bored with independent school committees.

In 1970 she became a business woman owning gift and design stores in Chatswood, Lane Cove and Balmain. Her silent business partner in her early gift shops was Bruce Leckie the cardio thoracic surgeon who lived in Albert Road in Strathfield.

In these years Pam and BJ became very good friends with Pam and Slim Brauer of Strathfield. The two very attractive and stylish ladies and their tall and smartly dressed husbands cut quite a dash in the fashionable restaurants of inner Sydney in that era. For forty years Pam Smith played tennis every Tuesday on courts around the district with other well known Strathfield ladies such as Betsy Greive, Beris McIntosh, Gwen Storey and Rae Allen.

In 1980 when Pam and her husband left the district they moved to Balmain. Their next move was to the Southern Highlands. After BJ Smith was diagnosed with biliary cancer Pam nursed her husband of 59 years in their home Chesney in Burradoo until his death on Christmas Eve 2000. She then moved to Bowral and lived there independently until her death this year.

This obituary was written by Pamela’s son, Scott Brandon Smith