ON August 29, 1916 Jim Whitbourne entered the world at the small country town of Kyabram in the Goulburn Valley.
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One hundred years later, and in a very different world to the one he took his first breath, Jim reflects on a good life filled with laughter and love.
Port Macquarie’s newest centenarian will be joined by family and friends to celebrate this momentous life event and acknowledge all that Jim has brought to their own lives over the years.
Jim was the first of four children for Jessie and Arthur Whitbourne. His brother Ernest was killed in July 1941 as an airforceman serving in England. He also had two sisters Ethel and Adela.
Jim spent his formative years in Kyabram. A place he would return to after the war.
The school captain was a popular lad and showed real talent on the tennis court, cricket pitch and AFL field. His collection of tennis championship trophies are still on display at the Kyabram Tennis Club.
In 1940 he was enlisted into the army at the tender age of 22 after marrying a young Kyabram local named Lottie who he would later have two children with – Ernest and Dawn.
For six years, Jim would serve much of his time in the army in Australia and Papua New Guinea where he helped train young enlistees and was later drafted into a concert party to entertain the troops.
A dazzling juggler, Jim would travel with his entourage every day setting up a mobile stage and performing on the back of a truck with the likes of Gracie Fields and Michael Pate who went on to enjoy stardom in their own right.
“When the fellows knew Gracie Fields was performing they would walk from all over the place carrying their own chairs just to be there. We’d always have a few thousand – and they were the best audiences we would have,” Jim said.
But the realities of war were all too real. Only hours after a performance in New Guinea, four of their own were killed by Japanese soldiers.
Jim returned to Kyabram after the war and within weeks of disembarking the train in Melbourne was back on the tennis courts taking out his home town’s Easter tournament.
In 1953 he was employed by the AMP Society to sell insurance and manage staff – a role he maintained until his retirement in 1978.
Jim met his second wife Muriel through Legacy and the couple married in Melbourne in 1979. They are celebrating their 37th year together.
Muriel’s three children Pamela, Robyn and Gary added to their extended family which now consists of nine grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
The couple moved to Port Macquarie in 1996 after spending many happy holidays in the region.
Jim was a member of the Port City Bowling Club and remains a valued member 20-year member of the Port Macquarie RSL Sub-branch.
His secret recipe to a good life is simple – stay healthy and fit.
He relinquished his driver’s licence at 99 years and still lives independently in his own home with Muriel.
We wish Jim all the best on his 100th birthday.