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Pat Wellington was born at Orbost, Victoria in 1913. She attended Merbein and Mildura Primary Schools, Mildura High School and Korowa Anglican Girls' School. She graduated in medicine from Melbourne University in 1937.

Her first job in medicine was as a Resident Medical Officer with Dr Lorna Lloyd-Green at Caulfield Convalescent Hospital. This was followed by appointments at Geelong Hospital, Royal Children's Hospital, Queen Victoria Hospital and the Austin Hospital.

From 1942 to 1944 she was co-opted to the RAAF Medical Service. She left medicine in 1945 to raise a family and returned in the 1960s, doing part-time sessional work for the Murray House general practice in Dandenong.

In 1971 Pat was appointed to the Monash University Council, a position she held until 1986.

Between 1971 and 1974 she worked with Dr Margaret Horan as a clinical assistant in the Paediatric Outpatients Clinic at the Queen Victoria Hospital. In 1972 Pat joined the Maternal and Child Health Service as a part-time medical officer and then transferred to the School Medical Service in 1974. In 1975 she was seconded to the Knox Early Childhood Development Project and remained there until retirement in 1984.

Her life completed a remarkable full circle when she returned to Korowa in 1972 as the school medical officer, and confidante to the principal, Miss Margaret McPherson. She continued part-time at Korowa until her retirement in December 1990, at 77 years of age.

Pat died where her  life in medicine began - in the Alfred Hospital, on 24 March, 1998.