About Pam Wilson

I have two daughters, a stepson and stepdaughter, and six grandchildren. My family has become rather International, living in the UK, Spain and Australia. Fortunately I enjoy travelling. I started my working life as a shorthand typist which led me in time to a position of Personal Assistant in a small family printing company.

This was a varied role as we all helped out as necessary so I learnt how to typeset, proof-read and even how to operate a printing press.

This came in very useful subsequently when I found myself - again supposedly a PA - taking orders, proof-reading and even creating artwork in a specialist label printing company. Oh yes, and the shorthand came in very useful as well when taking orders over the telephone!

Then I decided I wanted to work for the worst boss ever - Me - and I established what was essentially a "one-woman" business which was specifically aimed at "doing the work nobody else wanted to do".

In the early days the projects were varied, and included:-

• Word processing the translation from Russian of Boris Yeltsin's memoirs (before he came to power)

• Manipulating word processed data of the contents of the house in Paris, previously owned by the late Duke & Duchess of Windsor; into database format for a firm of Historical Consultants

• Keying in book text for various publishers (to very tight deadlines)

• Typesetting and producing a series of booklets covering a wide range of medical conditions.

And then I moved into what has become my speciality - “(Electronic) Document Conversion and Migration Issues and Solutions”. What’s that, you’re probably asking, well essentially it’s "doing the work nobody else wanted to do". Put very simply I identify methods of automating the move of documents from one electronic word processing programme to another. More recently this has also involved electronic document management systems.

This has involved me in working on client sites in various parts of the world - and is why I found myself in Mystic, Connecticut looking at hand carved duck decoys a few days before Christmas some years ago!

I enjoy creative hobbies such as cross-stitch, tapestry, knitting and photography, and now have a new craft to add to the list - carving - and most specifically carving duck decoys!

And that has led to my latest project, and the reason why you are reading this - the creation of the Learn How to Carve a Duck Decoy book

I’ve been supported throughout this project by my partner, Jack, who has decided that I’m “quackers” – excuse the pun – but is there for me always.

And also by Holly, Jack’s beautiful and loving dog – who is always there, usually sitting on my feet or wherever you are most likely to trip over her – and who supervises the duck photography sessions (sitting on the front seat of the car).

Also, courtesy of researching this project, even more has happened to me as I am now the Editor of Wingspan, a 28 page full colour magazine which is issued three times a year for the members of the BDWCA - the British Decoy & Wildfowl Carving Association!  Click here to visit the BDWCA Website