At Boystown, John was educated by Fr Thomas Dunlea and gained expert tuition in boxing from George Simpson and Arthur Daly, and rugby league football by Australian former test player Paddy Maher.
A promising rugby league player in country New South Wales, Patten once scored 100 points in half a season as a halfback and played representative football in 1956 against the touring Maori team from New Zealand.
As Johnny Jarrett, Patten fought for and obtained the Australian Bantamweight title in December, 1958, defeating Dick White by knockout at Sydney Stadium.
In 1994 at the age of 58, Patten received qualifications in Small Business Management from Southern Cross University.
There he was an active community member for 20 years prior to the death of his wife, Margaret in 2018, followed by his relocation to an aged care facility in Shepparton.