Arrested three times at gunpoint by police at different international airports due to the uncanny resemblance of British train robber Ronald Biggs, Australian Jeff "Patto" Patterson was no stranger to danger.
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He was the sort of bloke who had the gall to pull a gun on the notorious Kray brothers then miraculously charmed the London gangsters into becoming business partners. In the US he dined with the Gambino and Gotti crime families.
Or so the stories go, and they came forth at his funeral on Wednesday at Macquarie Park in Sydney attended by close to 100 friends and family.
Larger than life, the former hard man of Aussie sports-cum-European entertainment promoter, Jeff Patterson died after a fall at his nursing home in Hunter’s Hill, Sydney on April 28. He was 84.
Among the mourners were Melbourne’s own colourful character Mick Gatto and the Carlton crew’s Fat Ange Venditti and John Khoury along with representatives from Richmond, Sydney and Fitzroy AFL clubs who draped their jerseys over his coffin.
Mick Gatto had to fight back tears when speaking about their 44 year friendship, revealing his deep sadness when seeing the "loveable rogue’s health deteriorate". "He had big friends in big places," he said.
"Patto was in court everyday for my seven week trial, his loyalty was unmatched". Peter McIntyre from the NSW Golf Club spoke of Patterson’s love for the game, his love of a punt and knack to charm his way out of the most difficult of situations.
"’Go Patto’ was his cry every time after driving the ball from the tee," he said.
Patterson was considered one of the real characters of Australian sport, someone who rose from nothing and who went onto make and lose millions through riotous living, good and bad fortune.
A lover and a fighter it was his entrepreneurial spirit that saw him bring to Australia the likes of Sammy Davis Junior and Roy Orbison.
The former Aussie rules player, who played in Victoria and Tasmania, controversially won a Australian heavy weight boxing championship in 1959 only later to reveal the fight was rigged in his favour.
This was one of numerous tales detailed in the 2005 autobiography What A Life. The orphan left in a cardboard box on the doorstep of a Melbourne shoemaker went on to play for Richmond alongside Jack "Captain Blood" Dyer and became a lifelong mate of Aussie rules legend Tom Hafey.
"(He was) the most colourful personality I’ve met in my life," Hafey wrote in Patterson’s book. "Wherever he goes, fun and laughter surround him."
It was in Europe in the 1960s where he was able to remake himself as a businessman and promoter. It was not long before he was supplying acts like the Everly Brothers, Sammy Davis jnr, Roy Orbison, Fats Domino and Edith Piaf to the various army and air force bases.
Mourners agreed it was an appropriate way to end the funeral with Monty Python’s classic 'Always look on the bright side of life.’ He did.
