Golf Tournament will be a fundraiser for Pat Jamieson

Just one look at Catalina and Pat Jamieson fell in love with the place and its people.

Just one look at Catalina and Pat Jamieson fell in love with the place and its people.


“I really like the small town thing. The fact that I can walk to work and go to get my mail at the Arcade and see my neighbors and say hello,” Jamieson said a few months back, describing why she chose to live on the Island 26 miles from California’s mainland.

It was about 16 years ago that Jamieson made the jump across the channel and set her roots down in Avalon, determined to become a part of the community, both socially and in her career. Jamieson’s friendly personality and open heart served her well when she worked at the Hotel Villa Portofino and when she chose to work for five years for the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau. It was there she forged many good friendships and got to know how the little tourist town ticked and what was important to its residents.

Jamieson enjoyed her Island lifestyle and made many friends she was quick to praise. About a year and a half ago, Jamieson joined the staff of The Catalina Islander newspaper as the main advertising sales representative.

She said it was her dream job as it allowed her to use the skills and contacts she learned and made in the Chamber of Commerce and in some ways, help to make Avalon a better place to live and see the light shined on some of its unsung heroes and positive things about the town.

“Pat was a great addition to the Islander team,” said Vince Bodiford, the newspaper’s publisher. “She was very professional, passionate about her work and always brought a human touch to her dealings with our readers and customers.”

While working at the newspaper, Pat was able to try on various hats and even began to dabble in writing. She penned a couple of columns.

One was at Christmastime in which she poured out her heart, describing the pride she felt in seeing Avalon’s downtown decorated in the style of the season, transformed into a quaint, holiday wonderland.

“A few months ago I thought I had the flu,” Pat said, adding “shortly after that, I announced that I had been diagnosed with advanced cancer.” Pat’s peaceful, idyllic life had suddenly been very seriously interrupted. Due to the battle she suddenly found herself thrust into, Jamieson was unable to work, and recently made the personally gut-wrenching decision to move off the Island to live with her daughter Trisha in the Bay area and undergo treatment.

Her Island friends note that she may have left for northern California, but she’s left her heart in Avalon. In her own time of need, Jamieson’s friends on Catalina have been trying to help with her mounting medical expenses.

To that end, Jamieson’s friends and supporters will hold a golf tournament/fundraiser at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, at the Catalina Island Golf Course. The fun will include a round of golf in a five-man scramble format. The $40 entry fee includes golf, a raffle and refreshment with two tacos and a beer at the Sand Trap restaurant after the tournament.

Registration is underway for the benefit activity. Signup sheets for the golf tournament are available at the Catalina Golf Course. The event’s organizers ask that participants please register by May 15. To make reservations, call the course at (310) 510-0530.

For those who are not golfers, donations are being accepted for Pat Jamieson at: PO Box 186, Avalon, CA 90704, Attention: Phil Kirsch.