Pamela Westbrooke

I went to Eastcote Lane School and most of my teachers virtually gave up on my education, mainly because I was naughty, not really interested and just waiting to leave and get out into the ‘real’ world. However I did have some great friends and I wish now that we stayed in contact.
I first worked in the Office of Brown Brothers in Rayners Lane, also joined the Harrow and Rickmansworth Cycling Club, and spent a few very happy years racing with them, made friends and they were some of the nicest people I have ever met.
But yet again lost all contact with each and every one.
I went to several other local offices and was working at Whitefriars Glass Works in Wealdstone, when I married a boy from Wealdstone named Ron Hills.
We moved to Bognor Regis, where I continued to do office work.
Unfortunately, our marriage fell apart nine years later. I then met a guy from Chichester and married him.
In 1969 we moved to Portugal for a few years, where we were managers of a large hotel, they had a coup d’état there, and after trying for over a year to get other work we decided to come back to England and Bognor Regis.
Whilst I was living in Portugal, I discovered quite by chance that I had been adopted as a baby, and it was after my birth my mother emigrated to America, where she started a new life without me.
My adoptive parents never told me that I had been adopted and it was not until I reached thirty-five that I found out.
On our arrival back in this country, I found the law had changed and now I was able through a social worker to discover my true identity.
I will never forget that day, so my real name was Nabarro, wow………
I then spent (on & off) the next twenty-five years trying to find my birth family.
It is quite an amazing story and would easily fill a book, however by the time I had found them, my birth mother had passed away.
I discovered her brother was Sir Gerald Nabarro, who was a prominent M.P. and I am sure many will remember him (if you are over 50).
I also found that now I had three sisters, a stepfather and numerous nieces and nephews, plus all of their children. They are all so very close to me now.
They knew all about me, but did not know how to go about finding me.
I now visit the States every year and quite a few have visited me here.
Later when I returned from Portugal I was in rather a bad road accident (the third in my life) and was then off work for a year.
During that time I studied accountancy, from books at home.
When I was well enough to work again, I started my own Accountancy business, which became unbelievably successful.) So you see teachers are not always right).
Sadly my husband died of cancer six years ago, so I decided to sell half of my business off. I still work quite hard and have a pretty large clientele.

But I also take quite a few holidays and have been all over the world this year.
My hobby these days goes back to the 1950’s. I am a Rock n Roll freak, I jive for hours on end, and am fortunate that I have several dance partners, and we travel all over the country jiving to live bands. I just love it, Guess I am lucky, physically still feel 21 and am told look younger than my 66 years.
Once again have a wonderful array of friends around me, but still wonder about my friends from years back though.
I was not blessed with any children, but adore animals and at present have two beautiful Golden Retrievers.
Guess that’s my life in a nutshell. Of course there are many amusing, sad, interesting stories to tell, but then who hasn’t..........................
©Pamela Westbrooke2008