Recently I spoke to one of Australia’s pioneers of rock and roll, the lovely Little Pattie. Little Pattie, along with Digger Revell, Jade Hurley, Dinah Lee and Lucky Starr will be part of the Pioneers of Australian Rock bringing ’The Good Old Days of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ to Tasmania for the first time in the coming weeks.
The show has been touring the mainland for the last three years and the group of performers keep in touch and meet irregularly for catch ups.
Little Pattie (LP) is very familiar with Tasmania having visited frequently for corporate functions and last year she was in Tasmania for a Vietnam veterans’ function. She has been a great supporter of Vietnam veterans for her whole career and relayed to me performing in Vietnam in 1966, when a scary situation ensured, now indelibly imprinted on her mind.
While she was performing an evacuation occurred with LP and the other entertainers needing to be flown to safety over the battlefield.
While LP expects many baby boomers that grew up with the performers will attend the show, she also believes some may bring their children or even grandchildren with them and so have an intergenerational celebration of the music.
While the tight schedule will not allow much sightseeing, LP told me she has enjoyed previous tours of Tasmania and enjoyed exploring the east coast, Tamar Valley and the local wildlife of which she is quite knowledgeable. She related an interesting fact of platypuses in Tasmania: as it is the only place they have no predators they grow to a healthy size.
LP also remembers on previous trips to the island a visit to the shop Sargisons, in the main street of Hobart, during which she procured some silver serving spoons which she still has.
LP explained that she received her ‘little’ moniker at school because she was the third Patricia with two other Patties being taller than her so naturally she was ‘Little’ Pattie.
As to writing a memoir, LP was reluctant, saying she wouldn’t think it appropriate to share gossip or secrets.
You can see Little Pattie and the other pioneers of rock n’ roll in ‘The Good Old Days of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ on the following dates and venues:
Friday 14 February 2025 @14.00 – Burnie Arts Centre. Bookings: (03) 6430 5850
Saturday 15 February 2025 @14.00 – Princess Theatre, Launceston. Bookings: (03) 6331 0050
Sunday 16 February 2025 @ 14.00 – Theatre Royal, Hobart. Bookings: (03) 6146 3300
