Retired dermatologist Pam Brown has built a life full of care—for people, her community, and the occasional bottle of wine. Now, she’s turning her passion for wine into purpose, supporting Fighting Chance through the donation of her treasured collection.

A Life on the Northern Beaches

Pam Brown lives in Avalon, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with her husband Colin. After over 50 years in medicine—35 of those running her own dermatology practice in Mona Vale—Pam now enjoys the quieter things: reading, beach walks, and singing with a local community group.

She and Colin are great  supporters of Fighting Chance, donating through their foundation, Diversicon. Earlier this year, as they downsized to a retirement village, Pam made a bold and generous move: she donated her entire wine cellar to the organisation.

Now, that collection is being auctioned through Langtons, with bidding open until Sunday 17 August at 9pm. View the auction here.

From Canberra to Geneva to Sydney Medicine

Pam was born in Canberra, but much of her childhood was spent in Geneva, where her father worked for the International Labour Organisation. That’s where her love of wine began – going out with her friends as a young woman..

“I didn’t grow up with whisky or spirits. We always drank wine. I found very early that Shiraz was my preferred drink.”

Returning to Australia, Pam pursued medicine—driven by her own experiences with childhood asthma. At Sydney University she met Colin. They graduated postgraduate medicine side by side in 1965.

Pushing Through Barriers

Balancing four children, international moves, and a medical career wasn’t easy—especially in the 60s and 70s.

“Women weren’t given tenure jobs. Unless you had a wide network for childcare, general practice was impractical.”

She chose the emerging field of dermatology for its flexibility.  Even then, she encountered discrimination. Colin’s academic career took the young family to Stanford, where sexism followed her. “You just learned to close your ears to that kind of crap. But I had supportive women around me who helped. It was an evolving time in medicine for women. I’d encourage us, the women, to take our part in things.”

People First, Always

For Pam, the heart of medicine was never the science—it was the people.

“I wasn’t into the mechanics of medication. I liked teaching people how to care for their skin. People have to understand what’s happening – it helps them get better. ”

She rejected medical arrogance and believed in treating patients as equals.

“A doctor’s job is to help you survive what you’ve got—not to assume they know everything. You have to have a relationship with your patients. My patients were my friends.”

This mindset helped her build successful practices in both New Zealand and Australia.

Life After Medicine

Pam kept working into her 80s – knowing she could still make a difference.

“I had something I could give and was good at. I could talk to people in simple language, something a lot of doctors never do.”  

Retirement was a tough adjustment.

“When I sold my practice, I became quite depressed.. I’d built it from zero. I was independent.”

Pam served the community so well through her clinic that she is now a local legend in the area. Colin recalls joining a local choir:

“When we arrived, people said, ‘Oh, there’s Pam!’ My identity became ‘Pam’s husband’.”

Wine With Purpose

Their Avalon home provided the perfect cellar conditions, and Pam’s wine collection blossomed.

“I learned about ageing wine and how important a stable environment is.”

Now, she’s letting go of the collection—for a cause close to her heart.

“Wine was a hobby. But medicine—and helping people—is who I am.”

Proceeds from Pam’s cellar auction will go directly to Fighting Chance, supporting Australians with disability and their families.

“If you’ve got enough, you can spare some for people who don’t. You can make someone’s life a little better.”

Bid on Pam’s Cellar

You can bid on Pam’s wine collection through Langtons until Sunday 17 August at 9pm. All proceeds go to Fighting Chance.

View the auction here: https://tr.ee/Jtj878

How to bid:

If you are a first-time buyer through Langtons, you will need to set up an account. You can do this here: https://www.langtons.com.au/account/login

Once you’ve created an account, the link will take you to your profile page. To bid on auction items you will need to update your delivery address, billing address and credit card details.

Once you have done this, you can access and bid on the full collection, all in aid of Fighting Chance, here: https://tr.ee/Jtj878