Daughter of Wilfred Doudle and his wife Alister, Pat Virgin began her education at Pillana and Coulta Primary Schools, on the Eyre Peninsula, and through correspondence. She boarded away from the age of five. Her secondary education was at Port Lincoln High School and at Walford House College to Leaving standard. She nursed at Port Pirie and Cummins and in 1953 married Glen H Gordon of Yeelana, Eyre Peninsula. They had four sons. In 1977 she was divorced. While she was nursing in Port Lincoln she studied Real Estate at the TAFE and became a Registered Land Manager in 1979 while working for Elders GM as an Real Estate salesperson. In 1980 she married Ronald B Virgin, acquiring five stepsons and a stepdaughter, and in 1983 she returned to nursing, working at the Eyre Peninsula Old Folks Home. She retired in June 1990, and travelled to Britain and Europe. She has also travelled within Australia.
Pat joined the Eyre Writers in Port Lincoln in 1985 and was made a life member in 1998. As well as the work listed below, she has published two books, Mary O'Neil and John Doudle, Irish Founders of an Australian Family (1884) and Bridging the Years: History of the Warrow-Coulta School (1986). She describes herself as a folk poet, writing about events in the community, and has read her poetry and prose at a number of clubs and local events.
Her short story "The Blue Jar" was Highly Commended at the Eyre Writers Tunarama Festival Literary Awards (1998), her "A Lousy Last Day in the Force" won 7th prize in AUSWRITE 1998, and her "This Mad Earth" was Commended in the Eyre Writers Literary Awards 1999. Her unpublished poetry to receive recognition includes "At Kiana" (Commended in Making Friends Writing competition, 1996), "Hats" (Commended in Calambeen Literary Awards, 1996), 'Virtual Reality' (Commended, Eyre Writers Tunarama Festival Awards, 1997), "The Lake in Winter" (joint 2nd, Beyond Ben Bulben W B Yeats Memorial Competition, Berwick, Vic, 1998) "Pear Tree Seasons" (Commended, Max Harris poetry competition, Penola, 1998), "Old Ficus" and "Flaming Maples" (both Highly Commended in the Goolwa Sand Writers Literary Awards), "Canola in Bloom" (First Prize Copper Triangle Writers' Group 1999), "Summer Verandahs" (Commended Max Harris Literary Awards, Penola Festival 1999) and "The Volksy" (Commended Bush Ballad, Victor Harbor Folk Festival Oct 1999). She had three songs performed at Eyre Peninsula in Concert, 1998; "A Song for All Seasons" (music by Rosemary Nairne), "There's a Song in the Eyre" and "Golden Wattle" (both with music by Dieter Hauptmann). Jointly with Alison Manthorpe she won a 1999 grant from the SA Country Arts Trust and the Australia Council for a 6 month Poetry Mentorship with poet Jan Owen (qv)
