IT would be hard to find someone in the Swan Hill region who hasn’t been impacted by the kindness and compassion of Jill Pattenden.
Aged 85, Jill passed away peacefully on July 28.
Jill was a strong advocate for refugees and asylum seekers’ rights, social justice and Aboriginal people, and was a big supporter of Rural Australians for Refugees and Amnesty International.
She was such an influence on her younger sister, Lesley Cooke, that Lesley followed Jill’s footsteps into primary teaching.
“As Jill’s younger sister I reflect on our upbringing where our parents fostered in us tolerance, acceptance and caring for others,” told The Guardian.
“There was never an argument in our home.
“During our childhood Jill was always the leader among neighbourhood friends, organising clubs and designing newspapers and magazines.
“She was a model for me as I followed her into a career of primary teaching; she was always at the forefront of progressive and inclusive teaching methods.”
Lesley said their last big holiday overseas together was a trip to Sri Lanka in 2018.
“Riding in tuk tuks, on local buses and boats – stays with me as an example of her great interest in food and other cultures mixed with a lifelong sense of adventure,” Lesley said.
“I will miss our weekly phone calls when we shared our golf scores, books we had read, movies we’d seen and I valued her astute advice and non-judgmental opinion when asked for.”
Jill’s nephew, Stewart Haines, who has lived in Melbourne for around 20 years, remembered Jill’s visits to Melbourne.
“She was quite fond of coming down to the city, she loved coming to the (Cinema) Nova in Carlton and seeing the latest arthouse movie and visiting Brunetti’s (a cafe) to have a coffee and cake,” Stewart said.
“She was also a fan of musical theatre, so we did a couple of things, we saw (Monty Python’s) Spamalot together, and The Book of Mormon, she was very happy to laugh at that one.”
Stewart also remembered the times that he and his two siblings separately visited Jill while she worked in the Northern Territory, sharing experiences, and also visiting Jill in Swan Hill during Easter breaks.
David Hackett, who Jill co-hosted a weekly meet-up group for Hazara men (from Afghanistan) in Swan Hill, said Jill had a “huge” outreach in the community.
“Her family was the refugees,” David said.
David said Jill also helped teach both Hazara men and women the Australian values and looked after them.
“The legacy she’s left, it will continue on, because it’s the voice on the shoulder,” he said.
David said Jill, a piano player, was a great supporter of the arts – attending Regional Arts Victoria events, and by being a member and supporter of the Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery.
David’s wife, said Jill never sought recognition.
“She lived simply and grew her own vegetables,” Jan said.
“She was very compassionate. People on the outer, she would befriend them.
“She loved cooking, food, and following recipes from her mother’s recipe book.”
Keren Smith, a friend of Jill for “many, many years” said the pair “thoroughly enjoyed” playing music together for Swan Hill Theatre Group and the Uniting Church.
Jill also played the piano with the Country Women’s Association choir.
Jill was born on May 21, in Ballarat in 1936, to Les and Nance Pattenden.
She was the eldest of three daughters; Jill, Dorothy (deceased) and Lesley, and loved aunt to David, Robyn, Stewart, Bronni, Mandy and their families.
Jill attended Ballarat High School, before going on to complete three years of primary and infant teacher training in Ballarat and Melbourne.
She also completed an Associate in Music, Australia, in piano examinations – an Associate Diploma “highly respected in the international music community and recognises a sophistication of musical understanding and performance abilities that are well above the requirements for Grade 8”.
From 1958 to 1960, Jill taught at primary schools in Ballarat and Bacchus Marsh, before spending the next two years travelling and working in the United Kingdom, Europe and Canada.
Her travels continued into the mid 1960s to mid 1970s, in Australia.
Jill taught in Alice Springs and was involved in the Alice Springs Uniting Church (Flynn Memorial Uniting Church) and supported local Aboriginal children, also travelling through the NT.
And it was in 1976, that she began her 45-year long residency in Swan Hill, when she was seconded by the Victorian Department of Education and Training to work as a support for Aboriginal teacher aides at Swan Hill North Primary School.
That same year, she met Norma Heslop, while they were both teaching at Swan Hill North PS.
“One of her great joys was to take the Aboriginal children on overnight camping, the natural world,” Ms Heslop said of Jill.
“I shared many camping trips with Jill, but best of all were the expeditions to Mungo (National Park), to learn about 40,000 years of Indigenous existence.”
Jill also completed postgraduate studies in sociology.
Over the past 45 years, she travelled beyond her work commitments, travelled the globe to Europe, the US, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the Cook Islands.
More recently, in 2013 the Minister for Ageing, David Davis, presented Ms Pattenden with the ‘Promotion of Multiculturalism’ award in the lead up to the Victorian Seniors Festival.
Jill was such a big supporter of other cultures, that she was also a huge part of the Harmony Day committee.
According to Swan Hill Rural City Council, during her many years of volunteering, Jill was involved in adult literacy programs, community and Aboriginal welfare programs and was a life member of Mallee Family Care.
She was also the president of Swan Hill Business and Professional Women’s Club.
A service celebrating Jill’s life will be announced and held in Swan Hill at a later date.
