Humans of the Northern Beaches

Pam Fayle: From the World Stage to Woolgoolga’s Heart
From representing Australia internationally to helping shape the future of Woolgoolga, Pam Fayle proves that leadership doesn’t end when your career does, it just finds new ways to show up.

When you’ve known someone as long as I’ve known Pam Fayle, it’s easy to forget just how remarkable she really is. Around Woolgoolga, she’s known as the calm, clever, reliable one. The woman who’ll take minutes, chair a meeting, perform with the orchestra, coordinate an art show, and still bring humour to a Curryfest debrief. But before all that, she was representing Australia across the globe as a diplomat.

We sat down for a chat, part interview, part catch-up, and it didn’t take long before we were laughing, and I was as inspired as I always am hearing her stories.

Tegan: Before we start, I’ve got to read you this little spiel I found online, it sings your praises just a tiny bit and will show people how incredible you are…

“Pamela Fayle from Arrawarra has held a number of positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was a board member of the Australian Trade Commission and Export, Finance and Insurance Group in the early 2000's, and is the former chair of International Cultural Promotions. She was economic advisor to Senator Peter Cook, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology from 1994-96. In the Woolgoolga community she has been president of the Rotary Club and chair of the Curryfest organising committee. She is secretary of the Coffs Harbour City Orchestra, and former Master of Ceremonies, committee member of Woolgoolga Art Gallery, and member of the local Chamber of Commerce.”

Pam: Oh dear… that’s a lot isn’t it!

And it is, but it’s also only part of the story.

Pam grew up on a farm halfway between Tamworth and Gunnedah, went to high school in Tamworth, and as a teenager became a Rotary exchange student to Japan something that shaped her life more than she could have known.

Pam: That was way back in 1972, a long time ago! I still speak reasonable Japanese. A little bit of German, but my Japanese is better.

After completing her degrees in economics and Asian studies at ANU, she joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and went on to spend decades representing Australia overseas.

Pam: Most of my career was in the foreign service as a diplomat. I had postings in Japan and in Germany, and my last position was as ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. We bought our house on the Arrawarra Headland in 2002 and moved here permanently in 2006.

Tegan: Wow, almost twenty years, you’ll be officially allowed to call yourself a local soon!

Pam: [laughs] Same as Curryfest! I’ve been here as long as Curryfest has been here.

When she retired, she didn’t exactly stop serving, she just brought that energy home.

Pam: I started off joining Rotary because I’d been an exchange student, and I saw it as a way to give back, both to the community and to Rotary itself. Through Rotary I became the representative for the Curryfest committee, and then I never left…I’m a bit hard to get rid of!

And that’s classic Pam… quick to laugh, quietly capable, and never seeking recognition for the mountain of work she does.

In retirement, she decided to focus on the things she hadn’t had time for during her career, art and music. She started attending classes at the Woolgoolga Art Gallery, joined the committee, and became an MC at local events. Around the same time, she picked up the violin again and joined the Coffs Harbour City Orchestra and, naturally, ended up on that committee too.

Pam: I must have ‘committee’ written on my forehead!

Tegan: You are very much a joiner, and we’re lucky to have you. It’s one thing to want things to change, but another to actually put your hand up. You’re incredibly inspiring.

Pam: Oh, I’m not really good at any of it, I just do it because I enjoy it.

That’s Pam, modest to a fault… (or always the diplomat? 😉)

When we spoke about what she loves most about Woolgoolga, her answer was simple.

Pam: It’s a great community. I love it here, I have a lot of friends. When we were looking for a place to retire, we drove up and down the coast and when we found this house, we fell in love with it. Two of my grandchildren call it paradise, and I think that says it all. I’ve travelled all over the world for work, and it’s hard to beat this area.

We talked about why she believes in giving back.

Pam: It’s really easy these days with social media and streaming television for people to become very self-centred — just sitting at home and not interacting with anyone. I think that has a massive impact on mental and physical health. It’s important to stay engaged with other people, and one way of doing that is through volunteering. There are so many community organisations that are active here, and they’re all crying out for volunteers. You don’t have to give heaps of time — every little bit helps, and you end up enjoying it. It’s a great feeling to give back.

That last line stayed with me. It’s not just that Pam believes in community, she lives it.

We also spoke about the future of Woolgoolga and how to protect what makes it special.

Pam: You don’t want to lose that friendly, small-community feel. You don’t want to lose that nice multicultural mix we have. Retaining that, while you grow, is difficult, and that’s another reason people need to stay engaged. If you leave it all to developers or people who are only interested in how much money they can make, then you risk losing what we all love about Woolgoolga.

Then, of course, I had to ask about her incredible career and her Order of Australia Medal (OAM).

Pam: Good heavens, I don’t know what to say! Obviously I ended my career on a high as ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. I spent three years living in Berlin, which was wonderful. I spent a lot of time with APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and it was all about removing tariffs. So every time I see Mr. Trump putting tariffs on, I think, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s all back to square one!’ I just remind myself, at least I know how tariffs work, and he doesn’t seem to!

We both laughed.

Pam: But there were hard times too. I was in charge of the crisis centre when the Bali bombings happened, that was very difficult work, liaising with Defence and other people on the ground in Bali.

Then there were the moments of quiet trailblazing.

Pam: When I was in Germany, there was an event in Hamburg, a Chamber of Commerce dinner for all the Asia-Pacific ambassadors. I was the first woman ever to attend. The next day there was a photo in the paper, me and 700 men in tuxedos.

Tegan: Please tell me you kept that photo!
Pam: No! But it was probably the best odds I’ve ever had. [laughs]

Pam: It was a reflection of the times, there weren’t many women in those senior roles. I think I was only the second woman to be Deputy Head of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Often I was the only woman in the room, or the only woman on a project. Thankfully, that’s less likely now. But one of the challenges was having children. Men were quite happy to start an important meeting at 5pm, and I had to work hard to change that culture.

Tegan: Thank goodness for people like you, who were the trailblazers in that space.

And then, of course, we came back to where our worlds first overlapped, Curryfest.

Pam: I think I’ve been involved with Curryfest for about ten years. It started out run entirely by volunteers,and then grew over time. It’s become bigger and more expensive, particularly since COVID. We had to introduce an entry charge, which wasn’t popular, but it’s the only way to keep the event going. It’s one of the Coffs Coast’s signature events. It celebrates our multicultural community and promotes tourism, people come from further away, they stay longer, and they spend their money locally. So lots of people benefit. But again, it’s not possible without the event managers, the volunteers, and all the people who put in the work.

Tegan: I think we started on the committee around the same time, the 10-year anniversary! I remember the event was in debt and not very many people loved us at that point.
Pam: [laughs] Yes, and look at it now!
Tegan: It’s amazing how it’s grown. It’s gone from small community event, to commercial growth, to a few stumbles, and now it’s one of the Coffs Coast’s big success stories.

By the end of our chat, we were still cracking up.

Pam: Goodness knows what you’re going to make of it all.
Tegan: There’s so much goodness in there, Pam. You always give people something valuable to think about.

When I asked for her final words of wisdom, she paused for a moment before answering.

Pam: It’s important for people to get involved in their community, especially after they retire. Retirement isn’t for sitting at home staring at the wall. It’s a time to give back, to enjoy your friends, to get out and about. That way, you’ll stay healthy longer.

And that’s Pam in a nutshell, sharp, funny, wise, and endlessly giving.

She’s seen the world, led through crises, and broken barriers, and still, she finds great joy in volunteering here, in the place her grandchildren call paradise.

✍ 📸 Tegan Swan (November 2025)

Jim Reynolds – Still Chopping at 82: The wisdom, wit and work ethic behind Woolgoolga’s Finest Butchery

Woolgoolga might be known more widely for its beaches and blueberries, but it’s the local legends that make this place what it is… Jim, from Woolgoolga’s Finest Butchery is definitely one of them. Don’t tell him that to his face though, he’ll brush it off with a shake of his head, a slight grin and get back to sharpening his knives

I sat down** to talk with Jim about his life, his trade, and why he keeps coming back to the butcher’s block, despite several ‘retirements’ that clearly didn’t stick…

** and by “sat down,” I mean I danced and flapped around the butcher shop at 6.30 in the morning having a great time while Jim, Karen and Stephen managed to get set up for the day while enjoying a trip down memory lane with their dad and grandfather…and then I repeated the process a few weeks later in the afternoon because the original audio didn’t work and this story deserves to be told correctly. They were very accommodating both times. 

I can confirm, whether they are setting up or packing down, they work hard and fast. It was eye opening and an honour to gain the insight of what goes into running a fair dinkum, no short cuts, real deal butcher. (And just quietly, I didn’t realise how lucky we are to have one in our town. After this, I know I’ll be trying harder to do my best to support them.)

So where did it all start?  

“My dad was a concreter and I knew I didn’t want to do that. I started my apprenticeship when I was 15,” Jim told me. “Five years of learning the ropes, back when you had to actually learn the ropes. No machines slicing things for you. Just skill, muscle, and a bit of pride in your work.”

That pride’s still pretty obvious. Jim’s the first one through the shop door most mornings, even now.

“Yeah, I’m meant to be retired,” he laughs. “But you can’t sit still forever. I tried. Didn’t suit me.”

From Epping to Woopi (via Quakers Hill)

Before he was a familiar face behind the counter in Woolgoolga, Jim worked in one of the first Woolworths’ butchery departments in Epping, Sydney. It wasn’t for him though, he thought:

“Why work for someone else, when I could work for myself.”

This resulted in him opening his first shop in Epping and then one in Quakers Hill.

“Bit of a different vibe,” he chuckles. “You had a dozen cars on the road back then. Now in Woopi it’s a dozen cars just trying to get a park on Market Street.”

Like many before him, Jim discovered Woolgoolga as a holiday spot, but after one too many vandalism incidents in Sydney he decided it was time to make their favourite holiday destination their home.

He said, “A gunman shot up every window in the centre, except ours, and I thought Oh shit I’m pretty lucky they missed mine! The next week my shop was broken into every night for a week. After that I knew it was time to go.” 

“We always loved coming here. So, we packed up and made it permanent.”

And somewhere along the way, Jim became part of the town’s heartbeat. Not just selling meat, but serving up stories, wisdom, and community connection (he played local first grade footy until he was 43, was the club treasurer, coached and sponsored the jerseys) over the years.

A family affair

The business has changed hands within the family over time. Jim opened their first shop in Woopi at Surfside Plaza in 1987. In 2003 they moved the shop into Northside Shopping Centre in Coffs for a few years, but the addition of a supermarket right next door to the shop meant it wasn’t sustainable to continue. So in 2006 they came back to Woolgoolga and opened up in Queen Street. Jim sold the business in 2013 to Arthur Bell (or Ding Dong as Jim calls him) and in 2017 Stephen, Jim’s grandson bought it back. It is now owned by Jim’s daughter, Karen.

If you’ve been around the area for a while you’ve probably witnessed this evolution both in the business, its different locations within our village, and in the growth of the people working behind the counter over the years in Jim’s kids and grandkids…

“It’s how they learned,” Jim says. “School, then work. After school and weekends. They’d be packing sausages and counting coins before they hit high school.”

That kind of upbringing is rare these days, and Jim knows it.

“You learn a lot working with your family. You learn how to work hard, show up, take pride. I reckon we need more of that again.”

As someone who grew up with parents who ran their own businesses and was serving behind a counter before I could see over it (by standing on a specially made box), I agree wholeheartedly with the value that is learned from involving young people in business and community as much as possible. Plus how cool is this… Jim was my parents’ butcher for their businesses in Grafton! 

Karen, Jim’s daughter, who is a successful business owner and local legend in her own right, attributes her own passion for business and being active in the local community to her dad’s influence.

“We are all so lucky to have him. His involvement, guidance and support still helps me every day. He’s meticulous, still works things out with pen and paper and double checks everything.”

Machines, muscles and mindset

Jim, Karen, Stephen and I got talking about how butchery, and life, has changed over the years. Jim doesn’t mince his words (#sorrynotsorry for the pun).

“These days, it’s all about machines. Machines slicing, machines mincing, machines wrapping. But there’s an art to doing it by hand, knowing how to cut, where to cut. It’s a craft.”

You can feel the pride not only he, but his family, has in keeping that craft alive. It’s not just about chops and snags for them, it’s about tradition, skill, and legacy. And he’s not just talking about meat.

“I reckon society’s lost a lot of skills,” he says. “We’ve gotten used to shortcuts. But there’s value in doing something properly. Even if it takes longer.”

It’s clear Jim is highly valued not just within the Woolgoolga’s Finest Butchery team but regionally by many in the industry. Numerous other butchers across the country have brought Jim on board throughout the years to help train them and their staff.

He’s not just one of our local legends, but a well-respected industry legend as well. It’s probably part of the reason why even when he’s tried to retire it never lasts long as he’s always called back into the field by those who know just how important his skills and experience are to the future of the industry.

Jim’s retirement(s)

Jim’s had a few cracks at retiring. It’s almost become a running joke.

“I retire,” he says. “Then I get bored…I just work in butcher shops now to wear my old clothes out. I just do it for fun. I’m not the boss, I’ve got nothing to do with running things, I just work here.”

Stephen and Karen shake their heads and roll their eyes saying he still takes care of ordering, is in there every day, usually before anyone else, and teaches all the young ones how to talk to customers.   

His first retirement attempt was in 2000:

“I retired but I just kept coming to work anyway. It was when they bought in lots of new changes and requirements for butchers and I didn’t want to deal with all that. So, I walked out and left them to get it sorted. Then I just came back in to keep doing the actual butchery parts.”

In 2013 when he sold out of his portion of the business, he again tried to make retirement stick. I asked him if he had heard of fishing or golf and he told me…

 “Fishing I think is a waste of time you just sit there and look at the water.”

So by 2017 when Stephen, his grandson, became the owner Jim stayed ‘retired’ but from then until now you’ll still find him in the shop, sleeves rolled up, still smiling and quietly loving it.

Jim’s words of wisdom on Woolgoolga and life

When I asked Jim what his secret was, to still being so passionate, working so long, staying active, and keeping that twinkle in his eye, the man of not so many words, got straight to the point with some pretty sage advice.

“Stay moving,” he said. “Physically, mentally, socially. You need all three to stay connected to yourself, your family and your community.”

It sounds simple, but like most of the best advice, it’s the kind that’s earned, not read off a meme.

And speaking of simple stuff, that’s what he believes we need as a town and community to keep Woolgoolga a special place where locals love to live and tourists love to visit…

“It’s the little things that matter most, make it easy for people to get around. Look after the place, make sure there are footpaths, that the roads and the parks are taken care of. Help local businesses by making it a place people want to be.”

And for a town like ours, where generations are slowly shifting, and long-time locals are handing the baton to younger families and sea-changers, Jim’s steady advice hits home. He’s a reminder that experience matters and some traditions are worth preserving.

So next time you’re in town, pop in and say hi. You might come for the steak, but you’ll leave with maybe a little more appreciation for the legends who helped build this town, and still are, in little and big ways, one day at a time.

✍ 📸 Tegan Swan (August 2025)

ROBERT WATKIN

“Are you 1.5m away from me?” said Robert Watkin who is my next Human of the Northern Beaches.

We are sitting in the secure environment of the Woopi CEX club, an environment safe from the COVID-19 virus. “It’s crazy times isn’t it?” is how I started my interview with Robert. I then asked Robert how long he had been in Woolgoolga? “Not exactly Woolgoolga but the Northern Beaches since 1981”, and you moved from where? “I was living at Colletts Island, north west of Grafton, from 1980 as had moved from Chiswick in Sydney”

How do you find Woopi? “I love it’s fantastic, I’m still here”. So you have obviously settled into the lifestyle? “Yes, I’m a Northern Beaches man”. 

You are known around town as our favourite photographer, how does that sit with you? “Ha ha a lil bit embarrassing but the truth travels far doesn’t it”, we continue laughing. I know I’m a big fan. So, you find the subject material of the Northern Beaches enjoyable to photograph? “I’ve done a lot of volunteer photography, as people know, which I enjoy, it has opened me up to the community. I’ve met people I wouldn’t have met, seen things I wouldn’t have seen and it’s a just a joy to be a part of a good community”

To have a member of our community giving his time, taking photographs for its residents, one would get a sense of an asset. Just one of the many humans who give extraordinary contributions, simply because they love the area and its people, documenting its goings on for free.

I thanked Robert for his time and asked him my most important question? Is It Woolgoolga or Woopi “laughs … because I make a lot of woopi, so yeah it’s Woopi” we decided not to shake hands and decided a hug was more needed in these testing times.

Robert Watkin is a Human of the Northern Beaches and I can’t wait to speak to more.

Garreth Nicholls (April 2020)

XAVIER NICHOLLS

“I just love it” is how my next Human, 12 year old Xavier Nicholls of the Northern Beaches feels about the place he calls home. I asked Xavier how long he had lived in Woolgoolga? “I’ve been here all my life”, and do you love it? “Yeah, I just love it”.

Xavier is my son and he attends year seven at Woolgoolga High School. He has been home schooling of late due to the COVID-19 restrictions. One could say both he and I are in the same boat.

I’ve been working from home while practicing social distancing, so it made sense to choose my son for this months article.

I asked Xavier, what are the best things you love about Woolgoolga? “Um, I have my friends, I have the beach just down the road, I have some restaurants and I have the skate park just down the road”.  Xavier and I live on the headland, so most things are just down the road, lol.

What do you think about this Coronavirus? “Well a lot of people have been panicking and that’s not good, people should just stay home, but when it’s over we will just go back to the normal life I guess”.  Yeah, I agree I said. So, you have been doing homeschooling what has that been like? “Yeah, it has been good, I keep in touch with my class and my teacher using my laptop and phone and zoom meetings, it’s good but not as good as school”.  What activities do you get up to in your spare time? “I love riding my motorbike and going racing with you and friends and I play Basketball. We started a Woopi Team at school and play every Friday night in Coffs. I can’t wait to do that again”.

Interviewing my son has been just as good as my previous interviews and I must say, I’m stoked at the level of maturity in his replies. This makes me feel good about sending my son to our local schools, they deserve more credit than they get. In finishing I’m left with one final, but most important, question, is it Woopi or Woolgoolga? “Well Woopi is it’s nickname Woolgoolga its real name, but I call it Woopi, I just love it”. Xavier is a Human of the Northern Beaches and I can’t wait to speak to more. - Garreth Nicholls (May 2020)

JEAN VICKERY

Last month we touched briefly on what an amazing woman Jean Vickery is, when she was awarded the Coffs Coast Citizen of the Year, but Woopi News was lucky enough to have a longer chat with Jean and we would love to share it with you.

Believe it or not Jean has only been in the Woopi area since around 2012 but wow, what an impact she has made. 

She is a born and bred Guyra woman spending her life working hard and on the land. After her husband passed away she kept the farm going for quite a while until one day she made the decision to move down to the coast to be near her family. She is a mother of three and grandmother of six. I imagine her to be a great fun, open minded, all accepting grandmother too. 

As a newbie to town Jean wanted to get to know people, she became involved in all sorts of community activities. She joined the Red Cross and helped out with the Friendship Afternoons, she volunteered for Linked to Life, Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Meals on Wheels, she would also go up to the Retirement Village and chat with residents there. She joined the Woolgoolga Lions in 2015 and says it’s the best thing she has ever done. She loves being a Lion. So much so, she is currently President and ready to stand again for another year. Via Lions she helps coordinate the annual Daffodil Day and promotes and supports the Disabled Surfers Association.

Since moving to Woolgoolga she has embraced our community and contributed an amazing amount. 

They say volunteers live longer lives and Jean is testament to this. A sprightly octogenarian, she is out there towing and setting up the Lions BBQ at all different places so she can cook pancakes and sausages to raise money for kids with cancer, drought appeals or anything that is needed.

Jean recently helped initiate an Adopt a Town program via the Lions Club, to help drought affected towns. She saw the need for a laundromat in Guyra and collaborated with the Guyra Lions to help fund this, there was one family that had to commute a long way to reach the laundromat and this was causing them a lot of distress, so Jean organised a tank of water to be delivered to this family. She has been to Barraba and Bendameer as well, helping them in similar ways including making it a nicer Christmas for them. Jean disclosed that when she leaves these towns she has to pull over for a tick to control her emotions. 

Jean and the Woolgoolga Lions Club have supplied Nymboida and Nana Glen residents with 22 x 5000 litre water tanks and they have assisted Blaze Aid by providing steel posts and wire. These areas also had bottled water on their wish list which didn’t quite make the budget. Jean went around different supermarkets successfully spruiking for donations but with no delivery. Jean decided she would drive the pallets of water herself out to Nymboida. She left them there with a note saying ‘Love from Woopi’. 

Jean wants to stress that although she appears to be doing everything every where she is not a one man band that she has been lucky enough to team up with so many other Woopi residents and collectively they are making a difference.

Jean is wearing glasses in this photo as she has an eye patch on, and most likely will have for most of this year, but we can’t see that stopping her at all. Whilst she was in hospital having her eye seen to, she discovered they desperately needed a new Lifepak defibrillator in the emergency department. In true Jean style she got on the phone and managed to negotiate the purchase and donation of a new one that is now on order. 

Jean’s future plans include a reader helper program in primary schools, we’ll keep you up to date when this happens. She also asked me to thank the Woolgoolga Pharmacy and the people of Woopi for their wonderful donations to help the drought affected towns.

What a Woopi Wonder (March2020)

CATHERINE PSAILA

Catherine is the owner of Audrey G’s Coffee Shoppe located in the old drapery store, once owned and run by Joan Prior. This building has stood the test of time and its the location for my next Humans of the Northern Beaches story.

I started by asking Catherine, or Cath as I call her, how long she had been in Woolgoolga?“Two years”, and where did you move from? “My partner and I moved here from Woodend, in the wine region north of Melbourne, two years ago. We have a daughter, Audrey who is 6, she is who we named the Café after.”

Oh yes, I was just about to ask you how you got the name, “so Audrey G’s stands for Audrey Grace” aha now I know.

I think Audrey G’s has the most comfortable seating arrangements out of all the Cafés in Woolgoolga, that being the large old couches you see through the front windows of her shop. They are a perfect complement to one of her hand made treats and coffee. Have you not been there and tried them? Oops now I’ve let my secret out, I love them and I’m regularly laid back and enjoying them as if I was at home.

Cath is a beautiful and straight forward human who loves a chat.

I asked her, if she is loving it here? “Yes, we are enjoying it, it has been great to move to where there is so much freedom and safety for Audrey. We love it.” So you have fitted into the lifestyle? “Yes we have, the locals have welcomed us with open arms, it’s been great.” 

Catherine and her family were living right next door to Hanging Rock in the Macedon Ranges. 

It led me to ask her how did they discover Woolgoolga? “Al’s parents live in Port Macquarie, our flights were direct into Coffs Harbour, it was always cheaper to fly than to drive. Then some of Al’s friends moved to Sapphire Beach, we started looking around and visited them every time we came up here, one day we came across Woolgoolga and we quite liked it. This place was for sale and we thought, let’s just have a go.” You’ve been happy with your decision? “Yes, we are.”

What a decision to make, I get the feeling that to make such a decision must take a certain type of courage but it must also be a calculated one, in the sense that when people arrive in Woolgoolga it has a calming effect on them, it makes them feel peaceful and safe and makes them question where they are living and give them a sense that this place would benefit them more, or that life would be more suitable for raising a family. Woolgoolga has an effect on all its inhabitants and all that visit, the effect it’s had on Catherine and her family I think is similar throughout our population.

Peace, Love, Acceptance and a ‘we could do this’ feeling.

Audrey G’s Coffee Shoppe is open on most days 8:30 till 4 and now I have let my secret out hopefully you will save me a seat on one of the couches, lol. I had to ask Cath my most famous question: Is it Woolgoolga or Woopi?“To me it’s Woopi, it’s casual laid back Woopi” 

Catherine Psaila is a Human of the Northern Beaches and I can’t wait to speak to more. 

- Garreth Nicholls