Bronte Welsh
Our People

 

Pam Tyson

Pamela Ann Mabel Tyson was born on the 7th April 1932 to Veronica nee Peters and her husband Warren Tyson. Her father was an employee of J W Thurston and Vo, Ltd who rose through the ranks because of his diligence and sense of responsibility.


Like him, Pamela worked her way up in the civil service. She started as a substitute in the Crown Attorney’s Chambers then served at the Post Office and Treasury Department. In 1951 she was appointed Junior Clerk and once again found herself in the Crown Attorney’s Chambers, where she performed secretarial duties, quickly earning a promotion to Senior Clerk. From the start of her career, Miss Tyson understood that being a civil servant required flexibility as well as being able and willing to server wherever ones expertise was required.


Tyson had a flair for organization and management, and in 1964 this earned her an appointment as Executive Officer in charge of the Central Registry. In 1967 she was transferred to the Health Department, then in 1980 she was promoted to the post of Personal Assistant to the Premier. Sir Kennedy Simmonds admitted that appointing her as Personal Assistant was one of the best decisions he had ever made. He had discovered her abilities when in the 1970s she was President of the Netball Association and he was Vice-President. She ended her career as a civil servant in 1995.


However, it was in Netball that Pam Tyson made her biggest impact. She was a founding member of the St. Kitts Netball Association, formerly known as the St. Kitts Netball League. She worked her way through the posts of Treasurer, Vice President and President between 1966 and 1986. She was the first President of the St. Kitts Netball Association and the First President of the Caribbean Netball Association. She became Manager and Head of the Delegation to the World Tournament. She was also the First Vice President of the West Indies Netball Board of Control.

Throughout her involvement with the game, the personal interest she showed enabled the young sportswomen to rise from the ordinary to the extra ordinary. She motivated the netballers to strive for excellence, constantly reminding them that size should not be a limitation, and encouraging a balance between sport and scholarship

Under her leadership the St. Kitts Netball team made its mark in the region. In recognition of her contribution Netball City was renamed after her and is now known as the Pam Tyson Netball Complex. A speaker at the renaming said “Whenever one speaks about netball, the name Pamela Tyson has to be first and foremost. She is the foundation upon which our star players were made, because of her strong leadership qualities and the discipline she instilled in them.”

Her accomplishments made her a citizen of the sporting world as she became Manager and Head of the Delegation to the World Tournament. She was also the First Vice President of the West Indies Netball Board of Control.


For 40 years, Tyson was also the director of the Choir at the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. She was an active member of the the Business and Professional Women’s Organization and the recipient of numerous awards for her contributions to Sport and community development. Pam Tyson died in Barbados on the 11 February 2013.

National Archives
Government Headquarters
Church Street
Basseterre
St. Kitts, West Indies

Tel: 869-467-1422 | 869-467-1208
Email: NationalArchives@gov.kn
Website: www.nationalarchives.gov.kn
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