Pat Evison

Dame Pat Evison DBE
Born	Helen June Patricia Blamires (1924-06-02)2 June 1924 Dunedin, New Zealand
Died	30 May 2010(2010-05-30) (aged 85) Wellington, New Zealand
Education	Solway College Victoria University of Wellington Auckland College of Education Old Vic
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1947–1998
Spouse	Roger Evison ​ (m. 1948)​
Relatives	Ernest Blamires (father) Edgar Blamires (uncle) Henry Blamires (uncle)

Dame Helen June Patricia Evison DBE (née Blamires; 2 June 1924 – 30 May 2010), known professionally as Pat Evison, was a New Zealand-born actress.

Early life and education

Evison was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, on 2 June 1924, the daughter of first-class cricketer and clergyman Ernest Oswald Blamires and Annie Blamires (née Anderson). She was educated at Solway College in Masterton. She attended Victoria University College, Auckland University College and the Auckland Teachers' Training College. In the 1940s, she became one of the first New Zealand students to be awarded a scholarship to the Old Vic Theatre Centre in London, where she studied directing. She then worked as an assistant director at the Young Vic, before returning to New Zealand where she worked as a freelance director and actor at the Downstage Theatre in Wellington.

Acting career

Evison first began acting while studying an arts degree at Victoria University, performing in radio plays recorded onto acetate discs. Following her return to New Zealand from London, she began acting in television roles, with a small role in the television play All Earth to Love, and guest appearances and a regular role on the sketch comedy series In View of the Circumstances.

In 1971, Evison starred in the television drama serial Pukemanu as storekeeper Phyllis Telford, a role written specially for her by series creator Julian Dickon. In her 1998 autobiography Happy Days in Muckle Flugga, Evison stated that the role as Mrs Telford changed her life, and she was thereafter recognised throughout New Zealand as "Mrs Pukemanu". Evison also starred in the first production at Palmerston North's Centrepoint Theatre in 1973, An Evening With Katherine Mansfield.

She is likely best known for her roles in Australian television, such as Jessie Windom in Prisoner and Violet Carnegie in The Flying Doctors.

Honours and awards

In 1979, Evison won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role as Mel Gibson's character's mother in the film Tim. Her co-stars also won AFI Awards for their roles: Gibson winning Best Lead Actor for the title role, and Alwyn Kurts winning Best Supporting Actor for his role as Tim's father.

In the 1980 Queen's Birthday Honours, Evison was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the theatre. She was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1993 New Year Honours, for services to theatre, television and the community.

Personal life

She married Roger Douglas Evison in 1948, and the couple went on to have three children.

Evison suffered from numerous health problems in her later years including cancer, diabetes, several minor strokes and arthritis.

Pat Evison died in Wellington, New Zealand, on 30 May 2010, aged 85.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	Landfall	Visitor	Feature film
1976	Caddie	Mrs. Norris	Feature film
1979	Tim	Em Melville	Feature film
1979	The Old Man's Story	Aunt	Short
1975	They Don't Clap Losers	Granny	TV movie
1980	The Earthling	Meg Neilson	Feature film
1981	Bad Blood	Dulcie Lindsay	Feature film
1982	Starstruck	Nana	Feature film
1982	The Clinic	Alda	Feature film
1984	The Silent One	Luisa
1985	A Street to Die	Sister Sweet	Feature film
1985	Hanging Together	Jean	TV movie
1987	Emma's War	Miss Arnott	Feature film
1990	What the Moon Saw	Gran	Feature film
1992	My Grandpa Is a Vampire	Leah

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1971–72	Pukemanu	Phyllis Telford	8 episodes
1974	Percy the Policeman	Washer Woman	Episode: "Percy Meets Burglar Bill"
		Mrs. Jones	Episode: "Percy and the Burglaries"
1975	Division 4	Agnes	Episode: "Agnes Triumphant"
1976	Matlock Police	Chrissy Wilson	Episode: "Just Like the Old Days"
1976	Solo One	Mrs. Birch	Episode: "Little Joe"
1976	The Emigrants	Josie	TV series; 1 episode: "13,000 Miles Away"
1977	Pig in a Poke		TV series
1978–1980	Close to Home	Faith Wilson	3 episodes
1979	The Mike Walsh Show	Guest - Herself with Alwyn Kurts	TV series, 1 episode
1981	A Town Like Alice	Mrs. Collard	Miniseries; 1 episode
1983	Carson's Law	Mrs. Amelia Henty	Episode: "Teapots and Tears"
1985–88	The Flying Doctors	Violet Carnegie	3 episodes (miniseries), 53 episodes (regular series)
1986	Prisoner	Jessie Windom	28 episodes
1990	The Ray Bradbury Theatre	Mrs. Foley	Episode: "The Black Ferris"
1990	Shark in the Park	Vi Scudmore	Episode: "Double or Quits"

Bibliography

• Autobiography: Evison, Pat (1998). Happy days in Muckle Flugga. HarperCollins. ISBN 1-86950-267-1.

External links

• Pat Evison at IMDb