It is with sadness that Editors South Australia reports the passing in May of Pamela Ball, our inaugural president.
Pamela served as society president from 1990 to 1993 and held numerous committee roles from 1994 to 2004. She was made an Honorary Life Member in recognition of her long service to the society.
From the earliest days of the society, Pamela ensured there was a strong focus on professional development for members.
In 2020, Pamela reflected on those formative years:
The early 1990s were a time of editorial revolution. Out with the old tools – red pen, blue pen and bottle of white-out – and in with some fairly clunky PCs and Macs that kept on being superseded by smart new models. Out with typesetters and galleys and in with desktop publishing. In this scary and expensive time, for freelancers in particular, it was very reassuring to have a (mainly) sisterhood to consult and commiserate with. They were also a source of professional development, not just in matters of editing but also in layout and graphic design because suddenly we had to defend ourselves against the untrained hordes who offered their services across the whole publishing range.
She also observed:
At the same time, the publishing houses were vanishing before our eyes and ‘outsourcing’ was the commercial buzzword, even more reason to appreciate the camaraderie of a society when you’re sitting alone with your computer and only the cat to talk to.
And she asked:
Will editors become obsolete? Well, no, we thought, as long as we maintain our usefulness. We have to make clients and potential clients realise that meaning matters.
Pamela later wrote that one way to demonstrate the value of editors was to establish rigorous national standards and accreditation, ensuring clients understood the importance of professional editing.
After a varied career in London and at the Australian Embassy in Paris, Pamela worked as a teacher before becoming Manager of the Publications Branch and Curriculum Manager for the South Australian Education Department, a position she held for 22 years.
Pamela maintained her love of language throughout her life, remaining active in her French conversation group until shortly before her sudden passing. She will be remembered for her generosity, professionalism and lasting contribution to Editors South Australia.