Patricia Dennis
Multi-talented author, poet, painter, entrepreneur and world traveller.
Dennis Patricia carries with her a wealth of broad experiences that enrich her writing. At only seven and a half years of age, Patricia and her younger sister Jacqueline and parents were among thousands of people forced by the Japanese to live in the Santo Tomas Concentration Camp in Manila during World War II, from 1942 through to 1945. After being released from the camp, her family moved to Australia where she excelled in school and won medals in extracurricular sports activities. As a young woman, Patricia gravitated towards fashion and modelling. She was naturally beautiful and enjoyed modelling for television commercials and print advertising. Her beauty, poise and presence have seen her presented in catalogues, catwalks and television both here and overseas.
Patricia had a dancing role in the BBC film Vanity Fair as well as roles in segments of The Secret Life of Us and Something in the Air. She also covered topics for women on a regular segment of the Hal Todd daytime television show. Beyond modelling, Patricia’s many business ventures have spanned a wide range of industries – turning almost everything she touches to 351 gold, through her courage, tenacity, positivity and faith in miracles. She has farmed cattle, taught arts and crafts at the Dandenong Art Gallery, designed and manufactured belts for David Jones, designed fashion lines for women, imported jewellery, developed real estate, and owned a bed and breakfast business. Her writing career began in 1984 when she wrote poetry for The Show Biz Club and Intimate Theatre. She has written and illustrated a collection of children’s books.
In addition, as a member of the Shakespearian Society, she wrote a Shakespearian love story and many poems – all of which are unpublished as yet. Patricia is also involved with The Women in Community, which is the Latrobe Valley branch of Women Who Mean Business. As a group, they have published three books. Patricia’s love for life and travel has taken her to many countries throughout Europe and Asia over her lifetime. Patricia now lives in Gippsland, Victoria, surrounded by family, where she happily paints and writes in the studio she designed for herself.
Her book Hell to Happiness is a memoir of her magnificent and tumultuous life and is her first book to be published. It is a true story that illustrates how she has overcome adversity and gained the confidence to truly live life to the fullest. She has made all of her dreams come true.