IF local sporting identity Pam Dawkins had her way, the word “can’t” would be deleted from the English dictionary.“I hate kids being told that they can’t achieve something, so I like to help establish to kids that they can,” Pam said.There hasn’t been too much that 43-year-old Pam “can’t” do - starting from the time she fought to be allowed to play baseball against the boys as a 10-year-old in Melbourne.She later became the only female playing senior men’s baseball in Bendigo, and her determination eventually led to the establishment of a fully fledged women’s baseball competition in the city.Pam has represented Victoria at masters hockey championships, played A-grade baseball against the men, coached a local baseball squad at a state country carnival, and even tried her hand at ice hockey.But she gets just as much satisfaction from encouraging children and disadvantaged people to become involved in sport and community activities as she does from participating herself.As a volunteer, Pam has helped introduce hundreds of local youngsters to the fundamentals of baseball through junior tee-ball clinics and yard ball programs, and worked tirelessly to provide sporting opportunities for the disabled and disadvantaged.She is on the committee that last year organised Bendigo’s first Community Fest event, a festival of free activities designed for people of all abilities and backgrounds. A level two hockey goalkeeping coach, Pam has also travelled around regional Victoria passing on her skills and knowledge, and coached with the Bendigo Bank Academy of Sport and Hockey Victoria’s Vic Stix program.When Pam talks about the many projects she has on the go at any one time, her unbridled enthusiasm is obvious.Her latest passion is yard ball, which is run in Bendigo by the Scots Baseball Club and supported by Victoria Police and Baseball Victoria.A joint venture between Major League Baseball International in the US and the Australian Baseball Federation, it is a modified rules game that combines the skills of rounders and baseball with a focus on encouraging participation and developing leadership skills.It is played at seven primary schools across Bendigo, on Thursday nights at indoor baseball at Major League All Sports, on Monday evenings at Canterbury Park for those with special needs, and Wednesday afternoons at the Kangaroo Flat Community Group in Woodcock Road.The best thing about yard ball, Pam said, was that the players themselves could direct the game with minimal input from adults.“They do have an umpire, but if there is any conflict and a decision is too close to call, it is decided by ‘paper, rock, scissors’,” she said.“We are trying to develop it for children at risk especially, and so we develop leaders in schools and communities who will run it and encourage other kids to come along.lw0”We want schools to reward good behaviour so we have most disciplined player awards for the person who plays in the best spirit and it is really good for the kids to choose lw-2the recipient so they get peer praise and recognition at assembly.”Yard ball was also played at a Midnight Basketball event held by the YMCA for young first offenders and Pam said that experience highlighted its positive effect.“We found that all ages respected the rule of ‘rock, paper, scissors’,” she said.“If there was a dispute over, for example, who was going to pitch, it was `rock paper scissors’, no adult interference, and they worked it out themselves.”To discover where Pam gets this drive to help others, you need look no further than her family background.She grew up in Springvale, one of six daughters of a man heavily involved in the baseball community then, and still coaching women’s teams today, aged 75.Pam and her sisters went along each weekend to help run the baseball lolly shop, provide drinks to the players, or act as team scorers.They were also encouraged to play sport and Pam was a regular on the softball, netball and basketball courts before she fought for, and finally won, the right to play baseball with the boys.“When I was growing up, sport opened so many doors and friendships for me - it was like having an extra family and mentors you could call on,” she said.“I have had so many positive experiences from sport myself that I want to transfer it on and give something back.”Since moving to Bendigo in the mid-1980s, Pam has given back to the community in spades - including through her job as an employment business liaison officer, finding work for other people.She joked that her schedule was so busy she had to keep three diaries handy - one for herself and the others so that husband Rohan and 15-year-old son Todd could keep track of her movements.Pam is a catcher with Scots in the local baseball league, and plays for Footscray in the Baseball Victoria’s women’s division.She was a coach of Bendigo’s under-18 boys’ representative squad last year, umpired at the women carnival in Bendigo and acted as scorer for the Bendigo under-14s.“One of the highlights of 2008 was when Todd and I were the first mother and son to play A-grade baseball together in Bendigo,” Pam said.“Well, he might not think of it as a highlight, but it was for me.”She is equally proud of the baseball exploits of her niece and nephew, Simone and Scott Wearne - the former was named the Australian female player of the year in 2008 and the latter is a current Victorian men’s representative.On the hockey front, Pam is a goalkeeper and under-17 coach for Sandhurst, and represented Victoria at a national masters carnival in Darwin in the 40 plus age group.Her Vic Gold masters team plays at Australasian titles every two years, including Geelong this month, and will head to the world masters in Sydney in October.If that was not enough to keep her occupied, Pam said she was part of a group trying to establish Beep Ball, a form of baseball for the visually impaired in which the ball emits a pulse and most players wear blindfolds, in Bendigo.She said while it cost about $2000 to obtain the program, the group hoped to be chosen to run the game as a pilot scheme in this area.Then there is the growing work of the other organisations in which she is involved.Pam said the Community Fest organisers was looking to start a foundation providing money to help people who did not take part in sport because of the cost.It could help pay for uniforms, fees or other costs involved in participating, she said.The group has also been involved in holding forums in Inglewood to give youth there a voice, which led to a junior dance and future events like a family day and Twenty/20 cricket match - events youth in the area said they wanted.Pam said similar forums were being planned in towns such as Tarnagulla and Raywood this year.“Seeing the growth in kids and the belief in themselves is fantastic - the quiet ones stepping up and saying ‘I can do things’ is very rewarding,” she said.“I like to see kids having a can-do attitude.”