Patrick did not walk until 8 years of age on account of a congenital leg deformation, so developed an early love of reading, particularly the adventure stories of Stevenson and Conrad.
He worked as a clerk for BHP in Whyalla and Broken Hill, where he became involved with the union movement,[5] then became a journalist with the Barrier Miner, learning the trade from the radical H. H.
This was around the time of the Great War, and the conscription referendum, on which he campaigned vigorously on the "NO" side, against Advertiser policy, and was sacked.
[7] In 1920 he joined The Advocate, a Catholic weekly, where he remained until his death in 1944, making significant contributions with literary critiques and poems, and briefly served as assistant editor.
[8] He was a member of Louis Esson's Pioneer Players, an amateur company that specialized in Australian plays, and also belonged to Melbourne's Bread and Cheese Club.