Gregory (Downey), Pat

BORN IN SYDNEY AUSTRALIA on July 5th 1928, Pat Gregory's first coach was Mireyless Reid, daughter of ice sports' founder in Australia, H Newman Reid. Others included Cubby Lyons, Felix Kaspar, Percy Wilson, Jacques Gerschwiler OBE and Gustav Lussi, three of whom were inducted to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. She started skating at the age of 10 on her doctor's recommendation, one Saturday morning in Sydney at the end of 1939. She won her first competition after only four months, the Chandler Cup for Novice Girls 14 years-and-under.

Gregory quickly progressed to skating instructor at Sydney Glaciarium from the age of 15, earning her Bronze, Silver and Gold medals there. When in 1947 she was awarded her international Gold medal for figure and free skating, she joined the illustrious company of the few skater's with a NISA Gold Medal, such as ice hockey's Jimmy Brown. It was the most demanding benchmark of skating proficiency in the world.

The end-of-year carnivals in Melbourne and Sydney were the biggest skating events in Australia during the 1940s. She starred in both cities in 1947 and 1948, then went to London to "try her luck" in show skating. There she was selected for an International Ice Carnival; an Earls Court Rangers vs. Switzerland hockey match; and skating exhibitions with British Champion, Celia Colledge, and Swedish Champion, Marg Britton. She did seven ice shows and became the first Australian skater on live BBC TV in the few years until her brief return in 1951. She has said: "From the moment I went out on to the ice in England, someone told some-one who told somebody else and I was offered first solo spots, then good billing and finally top billing above the title!"

She was invited to perform in an exhibition tour of the English Ice Hockey Circuit: Wembley Arena, Empress Hall (Earl's Court), Harringay Arena, Streatham Ice Arena, Sports Stadium Brighton and Nottingham Ice Stadium; the first and only Australian to be invited to do the whole circuit. She signed a two-year contract with Tom Arnold, Europe's biggest ice show producer, and became the first Australian skater to sign a Solo Principal contract with a major ice show anywhere. She began her first tour in the mid-1940s with Ice Cascades, which had been playing at Stoll Theatre in London for over a year. It was a truly international show, comprised mostly of Americans, including some all-time greats, several European skaters and an English Ballet. She was the only female soloist, taking the place of a top US skater who had returned to New York. The tour visited the main UK cities and successfully ran for over one year.

In 1950, she was second female lead to the 1948 Olympic Champion, Barbara Ann Scott, in the huge production of Rose Marie on Ice at Harringay Arena. She was hailed as the "finest actress in the country", and as "Australia's Wondergirl on the Ice". At the age of 21 she played the principal boy in Dick Whittington on Ice at Wembley, London in 1950-1. Back in Australia she performed in a long line of ice shows including Armand Perren's Ice Follie in late-1952 at the Tivoli, Sydney, through to Robin Hood at the same theatre a decade later. In 1956, she was offered a 4-year contract to perform in the American ice show Holiday on Ice touring the USA and Europe. She was the first Australian skater to be invited to the USA on a Principal Contract by any of the big three; Holiday, Capades or Follies. The American press referred to her as "Australia's Sonja Henie", "Australia's Ambassadoress of charm" and "that pert Aussie redhead."

From 1972, she presented ice shows all around Australasia on her portable rink until she retired in 1980 at the age of 51. She was honoured on This is Your Life, filmed for the first time anywhere in the world on ice. "It was a marvellous farewell ... 1980 was a very good year ... When I was 19, I gave myself till 28. But when I was 28 I was in Chicago, in the biggest all-star show in the United States (Holiday On Ice). Then I decided to retire when Hal, who is out front every night, felt I wasn't looking good." She judged competitions and coached promising youngsters: "Now, after 31 years in show business, it is my turn to give something back to the profession which has given me such marvellous opportunities."

Gregory was the consummate professional, but perhaps it was Bunty Turner of The Weekly who summed it up best: "Elvis Presley toasted her in champagne. She was photographed with three young kids called the Bee Gees. Royalty and cabinet ministers and movie stars once called backstage to offer congratulations". In December 1997, she was nominated as one of 65 leading Australian sports people for the Sports Australia Hall of Fame. She was one of 22 inaugural inductees to Ice Skating Australia's Hall of Fame in August 2004. She lived in Sydney in regular contact with her extraordinary network of international colleagues until her death on April 5th 2019, survived by daughter Tracey-Lee, and son-in-law Russell.