The family of former Fremantle and Canning Vale prison officer Trevor Patten are hoping his decades of service and an act of courage more than forty years ago will finally be recognised.
Mr Patten served in Western Australia’s prison system for 34 years, beginning at Fremantle Prison in the late 1960s and finishing his career at Canning Vale.
His son Phil said his father built a reputation inside and outside the walls as a strict but fair officer with a firm sense of right and wrong.
“He had a very strong code of right and wrong. There was black, there was white, there was no grey,” Phil said.
“But if he was wrong, he would always come and say, hey, I was wrong. Most people do not do that these days.”
Kath, his wife of 58 years, said he approached discipline by explaining the mistake and how to avoid repeating it.
She said he used the same approach when raising his children and when working with inmates.
“That was his method,” she said.
“You have done wrong, this is why it is wrong, and this is what you should do in the future. That was him.”
Over the years, Mr Patten became known as someone who kept order with calm thinking rather than force.
He could read a situation early and defuse tension with steady words and clear instructions.
“He could see trouble building,” Phil said.
“He could defuse situations just with common sense. He was straight down the line. You are straight with me; I am straight with you. If you take me for a fool, I will come down on you. But he was fair.”
One incident the family remembers involved a long country transport run when inmates became restless after leaving early without breakfast.
Mr Patten spoke with them, understood the issue and then convinced a roadhouse to feed everyone on trust that the bill would be settled later.
“They took him at his word,” Phil said.
“The rest of the trip was perfect because he listened to them and sorted it out.”
Among the moments that have stayed with the family is the 1979 recapture of escaped inmate Paul Stephen Keating, a violent offender who fled custody.
Mr Patten was unarmed and alone when he chased and recaptured the inmate before returning him safely.
The Department issued a brief internal commendation which the family still holds, but the event never received public acknowledgement.
“If it happened today, it would be all over the media,” Phil said.
“For Dad, it was just what he had to do, but it was a big deal. He made nothing of it.”
Alongside his work, Mr Patten was known for giving his time to the community.
As a young man in the South West, he bred golden Labradors for the Guide Dogs Association.
After moving to Canning he helped establish the MUSICMAKERS Youth Stage Band, recruiting young players and organising performances for close to a decade.
“He worked really hard,” Phil said. “It was a youth band and they did a lot for kids.”
Mr and Mrs Patten were also occasionally invited to events such as the Lord Mayor’s Christmas Party, reflecting their active role in the community.
His generosity also extended to people who crossed his path. Former Canning Vale gardener and now WA Police Sergeant Shane Gray said Mr Patten changed the course of his life.
“I was a sixteen-year-old with a major attitude problem and a chip on my shoulder the size of a Jarrah tree,” Sgt Gray wrote in a dedication.
“Trevor treated me with respect from day one. He disarmed me completely. He became a mentor and a mate.”
Sgt Gray credited Mr Patten for guiding him through his teens, encouraging him to channel his energy in the right direction and supporting him as he built a family and a long police career.
“I owe a lot of this to Trevor,” he said.
“Mandy and I will miss you, old mate.”
Later in life, Mr Patten faced a long and difficult illness after being diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at 70.
Phil said his father endured twelve years of treatment with determination and willpower.
“He never complained,” Phil said.
“He just pushed on. The doctors said they did not know why he was still alive. It was his willpower.”
He passed away at the age of 81.
Kath said he was a family man who valued loyalty, responsibility and hard work.
“He was a very proud, loyal man,” she said.
“We had a hard life and a good life. He was a good man.”
Phil said he hopes his father’s story, particularly the courage he showed in 1979, will finally be acknowledged.
“That story needs to be known,” he said.
“He never asked for recognition, but what he did was remarkable. People should know.”
He added, “After seeing what he went through in his last days, I decided someone has to tell this story. He was a good man who did remarkable things.”
