A Career in Geology despite all odds
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I was born in Uranga Village, in Kenya. My father was ridiculed for taking me to a boarding school because I was a girl child. By the time I got to the University, I had outlived the expectations of everybody including myself. The first time I came across the word ‘geology’, I enrolled into the subject, without knowing what it was. I was later on to learn that I had chosen a man’s subject. The Geology Department had male lecturers only and I was the only female student in a class of 30. Back in Uranga Village, that holiday…
“So what are you studying at the University?”
“Stones” – that is the meaning of geology in my language.
“Stones? Wee! You’ve gone to the University to study stones? Is your head good?”
I graduated with 1st Class Honours and got a job and a Masters scholarship. I did research on coastal erosion on the Kenyan coast and when presenting my findings at a conference in the USA, I met Professor Alan Chivas, who introduced me to my supervisor, Professor Colin Woodroffe.
I arrived in Wollongong in 2005. This was a big sacrifice and move. My husband had said, ‘Pam, PhD is hard but I know you can do it. Otherwise I would have told you to remain here and continue with your newly acquired position as an Assistant Director, Marine and Coastal’. 14 months after arriving in Australia, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and 3 months later he died. I travelled back to Kenya and brought my 3 daughters over to Australia. I am forever grateful for the financial and emotional support I received from the University at this extremely trying time in my candidature. The network support I received helped me to quickly bounce back to my studies and in March this year, I submitted my thesis for examination, right on target. I will graduate next month to mark this great achievement which has become a reality because of your continued support in one way or the other and I’m very proud to be part of Wollongong University and Community.
Back in Uranga Village there will be lots of joy when one of their daughters becomes a Dr. At last she studied something useful, they will say. But one day when I go home they will bring the sick to me and say, we heard that nowadays you are a doctor, we are so proud of you. Can you give me some medicine for flu…
“Mm.. well.. I am a Doctor but I am not a doctor, please go to hospital. “
“What do you mean you are a Doctor and you are not a doctor?”
“I am a Dr of stones.”
“Wololo!! Wololo!! Wololo!! Whoever heard of a Doctor of stones? Do stones need doctors or people need doctors?”
“Look at her- she’s got a PhD — Permanent Head Damage”
Friends, and so my personal journey with this mysterious subject continues until another day. - Asante Sana.
Postscript: Asante sana is a Swahili (language spoken along the east African coast) word meaning - thank you. I have asked many people from Africa and the nearest meaning to geology is ‘stones’ not rocks. In most languages as in my language – Luo – a rock would mean one big stone- the size of a mountain. Also, some phrases in my talk such as ‘Is your head good?’ is a direct translation from my language meaning - are you normal? Permanent Head Damage is a widely used acronym for PhD in Kenya.
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Bio: Pamela is a Coastal Geologist with over 18 years experience in shoreline change studies, mitigation measures and coastal zone management. She obtained a BSc (1st Class Hons) and a MSc (Geology) from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She completed a PhD at the University of Wollongong on the susceptibility of the Illawarra coast to the impacts of climate change. She is currently an Associate Lecturer at the University of Wollongong and will soon take up her role as the Network Integrator of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council to lead implementation of interdisciplinary teaching and learning about climate change. Pamela was commissioned by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to prepare a technical scientific report to the African Union Commission at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (7-18 December 2009).
