Patrick giving Rupert, a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, a drink of beer. Picture taken by the Northern Daily Leader newspaper. An excerpt from the newspaper reads: "A Bird Behind the Bar! Glen Innes proprietor Pat Williams shares a 'quiet one' with his feathered friend Rupert the cockatoo. Rupert, who belongs to Pat's daugther Mary-Anne, rules the roost at the Club Hotel, much to the delight of patrons. He likes to drink and he likes to talk, according to Pat. His favorite beer is Tooheys and his favorite perch is in the drive-in bottleshop department, where he farewells departing customers with a "cheerio - thanks very much". Pat says that Rupert, who is five years old (does that make him an underage drinker?), can almost conduct a meaningful conversation. When he can we want to interview him - over a beer of course. - Photo by Geoff Porter" |
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Patrick James Williams 1929 - 2004
Patrick James Williams was a Force of Nature! He was a phenomenon that no single person could wrap their mind around. We all came to know, respect, love, and marvel different facets of his highly complex and multidimensional character. He was a man of integrity with huge human resources and capabilities. His power stemmed from a mix of Christian faith, love of his family and friends, love of sport, love of the Club Hotel and the people of Glen Innes.
Pat had a strong sense of his identity and his place in history. He constantly drew from this solid foundation. To understand him one needs to understand the influences that shaped and guided him.
He was born in Glen Innes on July 27 1929 into a family of hoteliers. His Grandmother Bridget MacNamara was the sister of Clancy of the Overflow a horseman who figures in Banjo Paterson's poems. Bridget was one of 13 children of Michael and Ellen MacNamara who owned a property called the Overflow. Their eldest son was Thomas Clancy MacNamara and from a young age he was known as Clancy to distinguish him from his father's brother Thomas. Clancy lived well into his 90's. Pat met him during a visit to the Bull and Bush Hotel in the 1940's - a visit that attracted significant interest and a number of articles in the newspapers.
Pat's Grandfather, Thomas Williams married Bridget in the late 1800's and they built The Club Hotel in Glen Innes in 1906. Over the next century the family acquired over 20 hotels across the country from Manly to Adelaide but the most important hotel in the family dynasty was always the first one they built, the Club Hotel.
Since the family had a large number of business interests in various places around Australia Pat attended a number of primary schools including Oak Hill College at Castle Hill before going to secondary school at St Joseph's College Hunters Hill (Joeys) with his brothers. At Oak Hill he held the under 11 year old high jumping record for over forty years. In verifying this fact the school could also tell us that he won the three legged race with a friend B.MacNamara at the Combined Hills District School Carnival in 1940 to help Oak Hill win the trophy that year.
It was at Joey's that Pat started to develop his wide network of friends and to excel further in sport. At age 15 Pat left Joeys to help his Father, Stanislaus, another extraordinary character who was in some trouble running the Bull and Bush Hotel in Baulkam Hills during the later war years. This allowed his brothers to complete their education.
As he developed he found working with his father a challenge and by 17 decided to head to the Northern Territory. He became a Jackaroo for 2 years on a cattle station where he worked with local aboriginals. He sometimes amused people with his amazing stories, sprinkled with Pigeon English, from the Never Never. He returned to the Bull and Bush when he was 19 and shortly after met the Fay Turner the person who exercised the most profound influence over him. Fay was the sister of the legendary Mick Turner* who was his brother, Peter's best friend. Over the next few years he lived in Sydney and worked in several hotels including the Bull and Bush. During this time he played both Rugby League and Rugby Union for the Parramatta Clubs.
In 1956 he returned to Glen Innes to take over the liquor licence of the Club Hotel from his father and commenced the most significant era of his life. He married Fay in 1957 in the Chapel at Joeys and within 8 years they had 5 children; Anthony James, Mary-Anne, Thomas Patrick, Julianne, and John Francis. The family was devastated in January 1984 when Thomas, aged 21, drowned after slipping from the Beardy River Weir in Glen Innes during a time of heavy rain.
After coming back to his birth place Glen Innes in 1956 he spent the next half century managing his beloved hotel, contributing to the community, and helping his family. Those who came across Pat were captivated by his charm. A charm driven by his humanity and his ability to relate to anyone on any level. Perhaps the traits most people saw in Pat were his overwhelming physical and mental strength, and his seemingly boundless generosity, but his most enduring characteristic will very likely be his capacity to contribute to those around him.
Pat being a great sportsman and team player himself had a strong interest in sport and was a generous supporter in the district. He had a deep understanding of the important role sport could play in the community especially a small community like Glen Innes. Not only was he the founding President of the All Schools Glen Innes Carnival from 1962 - 1985 but he supported a wide range of sporting teams including rugby union, rugby league, cricket, and athletics as well as sporting events from Show Jumping to Long Distance Cycling for over forty years. The sport he enjoyed in his later years was Horse Racing. He breed race horses and had shares in others. The names of those horses were many and the wins were sparse but a lot of fun was had by all. The successful highs were mountainous and the despairing lows were cavernous. But the wins made it all worthwhile. His biggest win was the result of a mistake. The number of times he got out of trouble in the last race was phenomenal.
Pat spent his life reaching out to others. He derived enormous pleasure from helping to create opportunities for others and helping people through hard times. He was not motivated by what he might receive in return but occasionally he received unexpected rewards. For example, one Monday morning in 1964 he was driving to collect some bulk supplies for the hotel. As he approached the King George Oval he saw a person walking along the road with a suitcase. He stopped and offered him a lift. It was Barry Picker on his way to the Railway Station. Pat asked if he was the Forward he had watched play football the previous Sunday. It turned out that Barry had come to Glen Innes 3 weeks beforehand to try out as a paid rugby league player. Although he was offered a paid position on the Glen Innes Rugby League team the club was unable to find him a job and suitable accommodation. So after only travelling a few meters towards the station Pat had offered Barry a room at the Club Hotel and a job. What he didn't bargain for was a loyal friend for life. (Barry still works and helps out at the hotel.)
Pat was a man of contrasts which only added to his mystery. He was a tough guy that mixed with the toughest, but he also revealed a soft and caring side. Those close to him saw a man who empathised with his fellow man and who had a strong social conscience. He had a special place for those who were less privileged and derived significant pleasure from conjuring support for his sister Judy, a missionary nun, who worked in Thailand for over thirty years as a nurse and educator.
Pat understood the dynamics of human relationships and the role of conflict, both physical and mental. He realised early in his life that conflict was not something to shy away from but that it was a natural part of life and indeed that one could grow and learn through the resolution of conflict. He always stood up for what he believed in and for people who were incapable of taking care of themselves. He took it upon himself to champion others.
He was imaginative and fun to be with. Not only could Pat relate to people from all walks of life but he had a special relationship with children especially with his own children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Little kids were attracted to him. He made them feel important and made them laugh. His imagination fuelled his storytelling and sense of humour. His Irish heritage possibly also helped!
As an extreme optimist he always saw the positive, often the funny, side of life, and no matter what happened he found the courage to move on and strive for better things. He was by nature competitive. He pursued excellence in all things. Excellence for him was very personal. His ideals were not always the widely held ones. For example, as a measure personal wealth was meaningless it was people's character that mattered to him. He had little attachment to material things and lived in a highly spiritual world inhabited by people he cared about.
Although he lived in Glen Innes for more than half a century he had a global impact and had friends all over the world. One of our favourite stories concerns a American Military Medic. During the Vietnam War Australia hosted soldiers who were suffering from a wide range of war related disorders. On a trip to Sydney he discovered that many of them were not receiving the kind of support he felt they needed. When he returned to Glen Innes he rang the American Consulate and offered to host American Serviceman who would benefit most from the Australian bush experience. Over the next few years a steady stream of serviceman spent several week long stints at the Club Hotel recovering from war trauma.
Several years ago Ian Halliday a local Car Dealer and Hotel customer was travelling in the US on business. On the way to a business meeting in Dallas, Texas he entered a lift and said hello to a person in the lift and upon hearing his Aussie accent was immediately asked where he was from. Ian simply said that he was from a small place in the country. The American was insistent and pressed him to tell him exactly where it was. Ian was travel weary and slightly irritated. He replied "Look, it's a small town that you have never heard of, a place called Glen Innes". The guy immediately and excitedly replied "Do you know Pat Williams?" You can imagine Ian's reaction. It turned out that the guy in the lift was Danny an American Medic who had a few stays at the Club Hotel during the Vietnam war.
It is impossible to capture Pat in words, but the most important parts of him are instilled in all those he engaged with over the years.
You can also read an article about Pat in the Glen Innes Examiner |
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