This web site was lovingly created by Rod Soulsby of Perth, Western Australia.
Hi Lesla,
Thanks for the book it is a great read and brought back many good memories.
Once again many thanks.
Cheers
John M
Lesla, thanks so very much for the copy of Brothers In Law. I set aside yesterday to read it uninterrupted and enjoyed it thoroughly. I love history and if it wasn't for motivated/dedicated people like you it would all be lost to future generations. Congratulations, well done. Seeing a photo of Bill Simeoni brought back fond memories of the many sessions I had at his North Fitzroy hotel, where all the top-cops drank including Mick. At that time I was attached to the Vice Squad in North Fitzroy
All the very best,
Les Brown
This book is a glimpse into the lives of two brothers, members of the Victoria Police, and descendants of Joseph and Ellen.
Part 1 Mick Patterson, a highly respected and decorated career policeman.
Part 2 Jack Patterson, the quintessential country cop, was stationed for over twenty years in Gisborne in country Victoria, later moving to Riddell's Creek.
Part 3 Family background, growing up in Prahran, an inner Melbourne suburb, the effects of the Great Depression on the family and their subsequent recovery.
In 1843 Joseph Saunders was transported, in chains, to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) for stealing sheep from his Uncle Isaac of Weedon Hill Farm in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. He had been sentenced to fifteen years as a convict. In 1852 he married Ellen Kent who had been transported from County Cork in Ireland for stealing shifts and a cabbage.
Three generations on we find amongst their descendants no less than five law enforcement officers serving as upstanding citizens in Victoria, Australia, very far removed from the tragic circumstances of the family's beginning in Australia.
