Pam Evans
Pam Evans was born in 1939. She has worked in catering most of her life. She came to Silai in 1997 after taking early retirement. Pam is involved with making bags for the Gloucester Road Alternative Bag Project.
"What brought me here was the fact that I had to finish work, let me see, how old was I? Fifty-eight? Because of the arthritis. I was in catering. And, I thought, oh, whatever am I going to do with myself now, you know? I thought, I can't go to work, because I've just finished work. Because of the arthritis. Anyhow, I'm stood at Totterdown on the bus stop, and the lady in front of me on the bus stop, she said "Oh, have you seen that notice there?" she said, "I've just come out of there," and I said "Well, where's that?" and she said "Well, the old Lloyds Bank on the Wells Road," she said "They're doing sewing in there." And there was a notice on the window. So it said for people of our age, and well it could have been any age really, if they wanted to join this sewing class, and I thought, right, I'll pop in and have a word.
Do you know back about eight years ago, yeah got to be, eight years ago, we were thinking of emigrating to Australia. And I thought, well they're not going to have anywhere like Silai over there. I know it's a strange thing to say but my sister in law who's over there living, she said "Oh Pam they do, they have sort of places you can go like that, " I thought, oh, I wonder. s But I've really really enjoyed every minute of the time I'm here, like, I have really, really enjoyed it, yes."
