Over the years this family moved about from town to town due to Patrick’s railway work. They lived Snowtown, Brinkworth, Caltowie, Lyndoch and then Nuriootpa. All of these towns in South Australia. Pat worked with the South Australian Railways as a ganger, responsible for maintaining railways tracks. They were in Nuriootpa when the Great Depression hit and were forced to sell some of their quarter acre blocks to cover the overdraft on the house. Those were hard times to all. The house still stands.

Pat was a good athlete and played football and cricket. He won a medal or two for sporting performances.