Johnny Jarrett facts for kids

John Trevor Patten, born on June 13, 1936, was also known as Johnny Jarrett. He was an important Aboriginal elder and community leader. Before that, he was a professional rugby league player and a professional boxer.

Early Life and Education

John Patten was born in 1936 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His parents were John Thomas Patten and Selina Patten. John was a descendant of the Yorta Yorta and Bundjalung peoples.

When he was a baby, John was taken from his parents in Grafton. This happened as part of a sad time in history for Aboriginal families. He was placed in a children's home. Luckily, his father found him, and they went to Barmah in Victoria. This was near his father's family at Cummeragunja.

John later went to school in Sydney. He attended George Street Primary School and Gardener's Road High School. After that, he joined the new Boys' Town (Engadine). At Boystown, John learned from Father Thomas Dunlea. He also got great training in boxing from George Simpson and Arthur Daly. For rugby league, he was coached by famous Australian player Paddy Maher.

Sports Career

John Patten was a very promising rugby league player. He once scored 100 points in just half a season! In 1956, he played against a touring Maori team from New Zealand. The next year, in 1957, the South Sydney Rabbitohs offered him a contract. But John was already signed as a professional boxer. His managers made him stop playing football to focus on boxing.

Boxing Achievements

John Patten boxed under the name Johnny Jarrett. He chose this name to thank his stepfather, Joby Jarrett, for all his support. As Johnny Jarrett, he became the Australian Bantamweight champion. He won this title in December 1958 by knocking out Dick White in Sydney.

Johnny Jarrett was a very strong boxer. It was hard to find opponents for him in his own weight class. Many of his fights were against boxers from a higher weight division. He even spent a year in the Philippines looking for more fights and better prize money. In September 1962, he lost his Australian bantamweight title because he didn't have enough title defenses.

Community Leadership

After his sports career, John Patten became an important community leader. In the early 1980s, he helped improve the Pippi Beach Aboriginal community in Yamba. He made sure new homes were built and that the community had access to important services they didn't have before.

In 1994, when he was 58, John Patten earned a degree in Small Business Management from Southern Cross University.

Later in life, John lived in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales with his wife, Margaret. They married in 1979. He was an active community member there for 20 years. After Margaret passed away in 2018, John moved to an aged care facility in Shepparton.

John Patten passed away on June 15, 2020. He is remembered by his two sons, five grandsons, and one granddaughter.