… “So you’re retired?” I asked him. Yeah, right! Jimmy is one of these people who will never be inactive!He was born some 67 years ago in Invercargill, on the very southern end of the New Zealand South Island. (Yes, they breed them tough down there; there isn’t much between that town and Antarctica…) Jimmy's vocation - and passion - is Building Construction, and specifically, the management of major commercial projects. Jimmy is a citizen of the world: his career took him to places such as New Caledonia, Amsterdam, the UK. One of his major projects was with Jacobs Engineering Group in their Singapore branch, where he had a senior role in the construction of a major centre for a Pharmaceutical company. “That was not only one of the most remarkable projects I’d done, but I also learned a lot there about modern construction methods,” he said.
Today, he still keeps fully active, not just at our Project Shed, but he also is in charge of maintenance at the Tamborine Mountain College. But it’s not just large-scale construction: one of Jimmy’s hobbies is fine woodworking. He recently built his own guitar, and is now learning how to play it! To balance the physical work, he follows his other hobbies of Computer Assisted Design, listens to Rock: ”Uriah Heep, Jimmy Barnes (think Working Class Man… ☺) and the like”, and keeps fit. Very fit, working out at the Gym, Martial Arts, walking about 10 Km a day…
Unfortunately, some 5 years ago, Jimmy’s wife passed away quite suddenly, due to a severe Melanoma. “I’m still finding the transition to being single again quite difficult”, he said. His daughter lives in Invercargill, and he is the proud grandfather of four grandkids.
Welcome to the Surfers Sunrise Project Shed, Jimmy!