After his father's death in 1960 Patrick Dodson and his younger brother Michael Dodson (q.v.) were made ward of the states and they were sent to Monivale College in Hamilton, Victoria on a scholarship to finish their education. Patrick went on to the seminary and was ordained in 1975 as the first Indigenous Catholic Priest. In this challenging role he sought to balance and blend Catholicism and Aboriginal spiritual belief. This led him into conflict with the ecclesiastical hierarchy and, after many years of confrontation he left the priesthood in 1981.
Since then he has been an Aboriginal rights activist, civil member of a number of official commissions concerned with Aboriginal Affairs. He is a former Director of both the Central Land Council and the Kimberley Land Council. In 1989 Dodson was appointed Commissioner for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and was Chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation from 1991-1997. As Chairman of the Liangiari Foundation he delivered a memorial lecture in 2002.
The book Paddy's Road (2003) is written about Dodson's life stories and it acknowledges him as an important strong public figure. Dodson's trademark Akubra hat and flowing beard have been familiar on the national stage for many years. He believes he has been conditioned by the experience of colonisation in Western Australian and many of the people, incidents and issues that appear throughout Paddy's Road are West Australian in origin, focus or interest.
Perhaps the tenor of his life is best understood if one knows about his grandfather, a leader of the Aboriginal Yawuru people. Paddy Djiagween (q.v.) was introduced to the Queen of Australia and the Commonwealth when she visited the remote town of Broome of Western Australia in 1963. Paddy, contrary to all protocol, asked: 'Why can't we have the same rights as the white man?' Her Majesty indicated her wish that he have full rights. Paddy walked across to the Continental Hotel and was refused a beer because of the colour of his skin. An aide of the Queen was summoned and Paddy was served a beer.
