Pat Larkin was Port Melbourne hostel's First Resident, a fitting accolade because she also became a key figure in its social and communal life. People went to Pat with their problems and she was able to give them the benefit of her own lifetime of experience.

Pat had worked for many years as a court stenographer. She often found the cases distressing and took to having a few drinks in the evening. The wheels fell off the wagon when her fella became ill and she nursed him to an early grave. Pretty soon the drink had a grip on her; she lost her job and her housing.

Pat found a new place to call home when she arrived at Wintringham Port Melbourne. She settled quickly into the lifestyle often helping with the cooking.

Pat made a specialty of putting on a Sunday roast, something all her friends in the hostel looked forward to.

She still knew how to party, though! As pictured here, she and her mates in the hostel turned up whenever there was a dance at the local town hall.