Patricia Valmy Butler

  Noted events in her life were:

• source. & This is THE Pat Spence / Butler who writes:
Patricia Butler was born in the Ashgrove Private Hospital Brisbane, on Waterworks Road Ashgrove. At the time Patricia's parents were living nearby in Exeter Street Ashgrove. Her father Orme Butler had travelled to Brisbane from Townsville for training as an officer of the State Children's Department. When Pat was less than 6 months old the family moved back to Townsville by train. They then lived at the residence at 42 Warburton St in front of the orphanage. This site is now [2006] a large complex of residential units. When Orme was transferred to Brisbane in 1953 the family lived initially with Valmy's mother at 24 Dansie St Greenslopes and later at 15 Harold St Holland Park in a rented house. Orme and Val eventually purchased a home at 80 Reeves St Clayfield.

Pat attended St Patricks Rosario a pre school and then St Joseph's Primary School in Fryer St North Ward. When the Battle of the Coral Sea began May 5th 1942 Val Pat and Bill Butler were evacuated immediately to NSW to the home of Ivy and Col McMurchy [grandma Mary Thompson's youngest sister] and were met at Yass train station by Ivy and Col and taqken to their home at Tenandra pump station on the Murrumbidgee River east of Wagga. Pat later attended Mt Erin Primary School but in winter there was very thick fog as she walked to school. Val Pat and Tom were living in a flat at Foxborough Hall with a Mrs Bridges. The large old house was opposite Calvary Hospital in Hardy St Wagga. They stayed in Wagga until 1943 when the Japanese threat had lessened,

Returning to Townsville she later attended St Patrick's College and then Lourdes Hill College in Brisbane as a boarder until Year 11. In her final year Orme her father was transferred to Brisbane and she completed year 12 at Lourdes Hill at Hawthorne.

During her Year 11 study in Townsville Pat auditioned for an ABC radio play Donna Clarines and won a part in the production which was recorded live on the stage of the Theatre Royal in Flinders Street. She also obtained the highest results in Queensland for the Grade 5 AMEB Art of Speech exams and won several prizes at the Townsville eisteddfod in 1952 in the Open Piano Duet with Ursula Daly, in the Girls Shakespearian Monologue, and in the Imprompture Speech.

Pat was in the care of the Brisbane Women's hospital for 6 days from 26 April to 2 May of 1959 for the birth of daughter Helen. At the time the family was living at 80 Reeve St Clayfield with Orme and Val Butler.

On Anzac Day in April of 1960 Pat had what was diagnosed as a 'bad cold' and then was taken to Clayfield by her parents where Dr Donoghue determined it was double unresolved pneumonia. He visited 80 Reeve St each day from May 4 to May 12 to treat this severe illness.
In August of 1963 Dr Donoghue referred Pat to a specialist on Wickham Terrace Dr O'Shea for a lack of feeling in her legs which was causing difficulty walking. Pat was admitted to RBH from 13th to 16th August and then to Wattlebrae infectious diseases ward when she was diagnosed with chicken pox. Unfortunately all the family except Ian also caught the disease and Pat was obliged to sign herself out of hospital to go home to help mind the five young children.

In January 1964 the problem with her legs and walking became worse again and from the 14th to 22nd Dr whyte ordered injections from a visiting home nurse. They were possibly vitamins or similar. By May of 1964 Dr Hefford from Inala had to call to the house to visit Pat for further recurrent illness.

Pat had recurrent problems with her left leg and knee through the 1970s and 1980s with xrays and medical treatment being ordered. In 1980 Pat was admitted to St Andrews Hospital by Dr Salter for a hysterectomy which kept her in hospital from 27th November to 4th December.

Pat completed later study at the Brisbane Technical College in George St [Art Study] at University of Queensland [English Literature/ Ancient History], with Library Association of Australia [Librarians Certificate] then at Kelvin Grove Teachers College [Teacher Librarians course] 1973,

Pat taught at St Rita's College briefly then as a study supervisor at Nudgee College and later moved to Lourdes Hill as Teacher Librarian. From 1978 to 1980 she was employed to establish a Library in the newly opened co-ed college of Mt Maria at Mitchelton then in 1981 she went back to the library at Lourdes Hill college until 1994. In 1994 she retired to care for her mother Valmy who needed personal assistance.

Pat and Ian Spence family timeline:
1975 May Mary Ann Thompson died in RBH of pneumonia
1976 January Pat drove Orme Val and Helen to Sydney to see Iris and Bill Rochfort
1976 11th July Orme Butler died at Reeve St Clayfield of an Aortic Anuerism
1976 July 7th Pat graduated from the Teacher Librarian's course at Kelvin Grove CAE.
1980 Anne's wedding organised
1982 27th Nov Helen's wedding organised
1984 Dec Ian retired from Kedron SHS and Pat travelled to Ireland
1985 22nd Aug Joshua born Pat travelled by train to visit Joshua in Gladstone
1986 Easter Ian and Pat to Sydney to see Iris and Bill [both ill and Bruce overseas]
1986 July Pat flew to Townsville/Mag Isl mum very sick with pleurisy
1987 June Ian and Pat purchased land at Howard Court then planned house
1987 June Marion admitted to Mt Olivet after fall at home [I & P visited weekly]
1987 Ian and Pat had been visiting Marion every weekend with meals for five years
1987 April Ian/Pat moved to Plimsoll St house when Milliner St house was sold
1987 Dec Pat pressed for accomodation at Archbishop Duhig NH for Marion
1987 Dec foundation laid for Sandstone Pt house
1988 Jan house fame construction began at Sandstone Point visits needed weekly
1988 4th Sept moved house and stored furniture to S Point
1989 back to stay at Greenslopes from M-F Ian visiting Marion daily and very ill
1989 1st Aug Marion Spence died at A Duhig NH
1990 Valmy Butler ill with thyroid problem diagnosed Pat organised doctors etc.
1990 14th April Visited Gladstone on trip north stayed at Helen's home
1990 23rd April Visited Gladstone on trip south stayed at Helen's home
1991 29th March Sydney trip to Iris as Bill Rochfort was very ill
1991 9th May Donna's son John born RBH
1991 22nd May Bill Rochfort Iris's husband died in Sydney - Laser repairs iurgent
1991 28th May travel to Sydney for Bill's funeral
1991 17th June travel to Sydney for Iris and Public Trustee interview etc.
1991 4th Aug - 16th August trip to Cooktown visited Gladstone to see Helen/Joshua
1991 4th Aug Helen with message to Caravan Park re Greg's wedding plan
1991 24th Aug Greg's wedding (Deborah Mercer)
1991 16th Sept - 23rd Sept Travel to Sydney in Toyota to check on Iris Bruce absent
1992 14th Jun Donna's son Mark Born
1992 20th Jun travelled to Wentworth via Sydney [Iris] with Helen and Joshua
1993 26th Dec - 30th Dec travel to check on Iris in Sydney
1994 Jan - Feb Pat had shingles and off work
1994 23 Jun - 28th Jun travel to Sydney for Iris
1994 30th Sept Pat retired from work at LHC - mum ill and required care
1994 mum had needed weekly trips to S Point for baths and laundry since 1989
1995 28th Feb overseas trip Maree and Pat
1995 April returned to find mum ill
1996 Pat bought Ford Laser hatch back blue/green coloured.
1996 4 April - 18th April travel to Sydney to visit Iris
1996 19th Aug - 29th Aug travel to Charters Towers for family history
1997 3rd Apr - 10th April travel to Canberra George ill and hospitalized
1997 13th Sept - 20th Sept to Canberra to visit George in hospital
1997 11th Dec Ian travelled to Canberra through bushfires George dying
1997 Dec Mum in respite care at Sunnymeade NH
1997 20th Dec Pat and Maree drove to Canberra to farewell George
1998 2nd May Mum died Bribie Isl NH

In November 1996 Ian accidentally reversed the campervan over Pat's left foot at the Oaks in New South Wales. This resulted in several damaged bones.

In December 2007 Dr R Ng removed a skin cancer fro Pat's right cheek and later noticed a goitre in her throat. Blood tests and ultrasound with fine needle biopsy revealed a problem with her thyroid [R lobe] which was operated on 8th October 2008 at Holy Spirit Hospital by surgeon Dr C Lusink, physician Dr Jenny Brown, anaethestist Dr A Palmer and later involvement of Dr A Wong a neurologist. The neurology report gave a verdict of 'proximal myopathy' [which resulted in weakness of muscles in the legs].

• connection. The connection between Pat Butler and myself is as follows:
Pat Butler (1935)
Her father was Ormand Butler (1901)
His father was George Butler (1874)
His father was Henry Butler who died in 1924
His father was Richard Butler who died in 1881
His father was Mathias Butler (1769)
His father was Mathias Butler (1744) & he also had John Butler (1774)
He had Reuben Butler (1802)
He had Joseph Butler (1844) who married Elizabeth Roser (1844)
Her father was John Roser (1838) & he also had John Roser (1838)
He had George Roser (1868)
He had Charles Roser (1897)
He had George Roser (1923) who married Olive Elliot (1924)
Her father was Frank Elliot (1891) & her mother was Doris Emery (1903)
Her father was John Emery (1867) &her mother was Phoebe Davies (1876)
Her father was Joseph Davies (1852) & he also had G. A. Davies (1894)
He had Colin Davies (1925)
He had me - Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

Patricia married Ian William Spence, son of Alexander Spence and Marion Starr-Nolan, on 14 Oct 1955 in St James, Coorparoo, Brisbane, Queensland Australia. (Ian William Spence was born on 19 Sep 1924 in Brisbane, Queensland Australia.)