Pat Montgomery, “The Bounding Jockey”

[Nick M]

#5799

Hi all,
Very glad to have found this forum!

I’m retyping this message as I fear I may not have submitted my original one correctly:

I’m looking for any photographs of an Australian circus performer called Pat Montgomery. He was a performer in circuses around Australia and the Commonwealth in the mid-1870s up until his death in 1905, while he was travelling with the Fitzgerald Brothers’ Circus in India. Prior to this he worked with the Walhalla Brothers, Chiarini brothers, and Wirth’s.
His last name was really “Cannon” but he went by the name of “Montgomery. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Nick Manganas.

[Mark St Leon]

#5800

Hi Nick

Paddy Montgomery’s original name was Patrick Cannon. He adopted the name “Montgomery” for professional circus purposes. He married Katie Shand, daughter of Ernie Shand (original name McMurtrie), both famous circus riders. All of these people were particularly active in the 1890s/early 1900s, especially in FitzgGerald Bros Curcus, at the time Australia’s leading circus.

Paddy and Katie had two children, Ron Shand and Iris Shand, both vaudeville and “legitimate” stage actors. I met and interview both Ron and Iris many years ago. You will find transctipts of these interviews and other interviews in the National Library of Australia. Ron Shand was one of the leading characters in the 1970s TV series “No. 96”.

I have prepared a bit of a family tree which you will find on ancestry.com:

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/43997285/family/familyview?cfpid=12732862247

Hope this helps a bit. Let me know if you have any further queries.

Regards

Dr Mark St Leon
http://www.pennygaff.com.au

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