Nature advocate showed many the path to loving the bush

Visitors heading to the Illawarra Grevillea Park for its final spring open days this weekend have a special reason to pause at the park's picnic pavilion.

The site stands as a permanent tribute to the late Pamela Mary Robinson (1933–2024), who was posthumously recognised as the recipient of Bushwalking NSW's most prestigious 2026 Chardon Award last month.

The award honours Pam's six decades of service across the Illawarra National Parks Association (NPA), the Illawarra Ramblers and the Bulli Walkie Talkies. Beyond serving as president of the Illawarra NPA branch, Pam voluntarily coordinated the Wollongong Environment Centre in the 1980s and spent decades advocating for the preservation of the Illawarra escarpment.

Pam's daughter, Kate, accepted the Chardon Award on her mother's behalf alongside Pam's grandson, Sam. Growing up with parents who were both dedicated to nature, bushwalking became a way of life for her three siblings, and later for many of Pam's eight grandchildren.

"We just thought Mum and Dad were a bit painful about making us do all the bushwalks when we were kids," Kate laughs. 

"But it's left a good legacy because I think it's a great way to live, really, to be going out walking in nature."

Deeply rooted in Pam's advocacy was her role as a teacher on the trail, known for knowing the name of every plant and pointing out native birdlife. On walks today, Kate finds herself stopping to appreciate those same details.

"Mum was also a big educator, and she loved the environment so much... she was always wanting to share what she knew about it, wanting to ignite enthusiasm for it, wanting to make sure that people knew about it so that they would also want to preserve the environment as well. She was a very strong activist," Kate says.

"I think I've inherited a little bit of Mum's wanting to stop and appreciate... she used to call them appreciation stops! And I think I'm a little bit more inclined to do that, to pay more attention to nature, and respect the need to preserve it. I think that's the huge legacy Mum has given us four children and eight grandchildren."

Asked about her mother's favourite local trails, Kate says that Pam simply loved whatever path she was about to take.

"She loved any walks, especially during the different seasons, so she would know when a walk was going to be good for boronia, for example, or a walk good for waratahs," Kate says.

"Barren Grounds is a lovely circuit that she used to do quite a lot in her younger, more energetic days."

Kate recalls Drawing Room Rocks near Berry as another stand-out favourite.

"It's a short, sharp climb... but so rewarding because you get up to the top and you can sit in these rock formations that are just like drawing room chairs of old, and just perch there and gaze out onto the beautiful views below while you're tucking into some nice sweet cake."

Her passion for native flora saw her make regular visits to the Wollongong Botanic Gardens and Rhododendron Gardens, with a special love of the Illawarra Grevillea Park. Her contributions to the park prompted a pavilion to be erected in her honour in 2022.

"This time of year, when the grevilleas are out in Grevillea Park, Mum was basically in raptures. She adored grevilleas," Kate says.

Local horticulturist Tracee Lea got to know Pam through her ongoing involvement with the park and later joined her on trails as part of the Bulli Walkie Talkies group.

"She was a big supporter of the park – she was forever donating money and she would come up here every open day," Tracee says. 

"She always loved coming up here and just having a little bit of a walk around, looking for particular flowers that were her favourites... She was an incredible lady, she was always busy, always kept going, kept walking. It was an honour and a privilege to know her, really."

Even in her 80s, Pam remained dedicated to encouraging others to keep moving. Through the Bulli Walkie Talkies, she guided local seniors on gentler tracks around the region.

"She measured a day by how many kilometres she'd gone!" Kate laughs. 

"Getting out, bushwalking, getting out among nature and doing it with like-minded people gave her a great sense of comfort and joy. Her best friends were bushwalkers... her tribe, you know, that was her tribe."

Kate notes that while her mother never looked for recognition, the award is a true honour to the legacy of Pam's efforts, and a reminder of the environmental work that still lies ahead.

"She wasn't the sort to put weight on getting recognition, but to have recognition from her bushwalkers, that would have meant a great deal. And it's given us a lot of joy as a family to know that this is how she was regarded, and that other people saw it as well," Kate says. 

"She would want people to be carrying on the baton of ensuring that we actually do real action.

"She would want to be making sure that people are voting on that basis of parties who will do something about it. Greta Thunberg would have been Mum's young hero!"

Visitors can see the Pam Robinson Pavilion at the Illawarra Grevillea Park during its final open days of the spring season this weekend.