Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Phillip James Vine, known as Jim, was born 24 May 1924 at Wooroolin, the only child of Phil & Eva Vine. His parents had arrived separately to the district about 1917 and married in 1922. Phil was a farm labourer and Eva had the Fruiter shop (Café). Her sister Doris was a Dressmaker at Wooroolin. This family lived next door to my grandparents and my Dad and Jim were close friends. They both attended Wooroolin School and St Andrews Sunday School where his mother was the Sunday School Teacher. Jim also attended Kingaroy High School per his Army records.
Jim joined the Australian Army on 27 May 1942, just after his 18th birthday. He trained in Goondiwindi, Glen Innis & Tamworth before being discharged as medically unfit for further military service on 23 Jun 1943. His daughter, Christine, told me that this was due to really bad acne on his back and caused him not to be able to carry the army backpack necessary for survival!
Jim was a talented footballer. He would have been coached by his Dad, Phil Vine, who coached the Wooroolin Club. A post on the FB Group “ History of the South Burnett Rugby League” in 2017 stated: JIM VINE - Lock Forward Kingaroy = One of the early players following World War II in Kingaroy was cafe proprietor Jim Vine. His ability as a lock forward during the period when the peanut towners had two teams, Kangaroos and Boomerangs was of the highest calibre. Jim had control of the Imperial Cafe where the Commonwealth Bank is now situated while he later became licencee of the Grand Hotel at Goomeri.
Jim married local girl Beryl Chapman in 1946 at Kingaroy. Her sister Olive married Les Freeman another man honoured on the Wooroolin WW11 Honour Board. Dad, Laurie Jones, was best man at their wedding and bridesmaid was Beryl’s sister Jean who later married Hughie McNamara.
As mentioned above Jim & Beryl ran the Imperial Cate at Kingaroy with John & Joy Chapman. John Chapman is also listed on the Wooroolin WW11 Honour Board and his story posted in Jun 2021. He was a POW at Chani in Singapore. After leaving Kingaroy Jim opened up a Billiard Room at Goomeri and was a bookmaker. The electoral rolls show he was a Tobacconist in 1958 and he also worked at the Murgon Meat Works and on the Town Water Supply.
By 1965 he and Beryl were the proprietors of the Grand Hotel at Goomeri. This classic Art Deco Hotel was built in 1943 after the original Grand Hotel and the Goomeri Post Office were taken by fire in 1939.
About 1970 they moved to Maleny where they owned the Maleny Hotel with their son Denis as the Manager. Jim & Beryl retired to Maroochdore about 1980 but per their daughter Christine, “Dad was so used to having lots of people around they purchased the Landsborough Hotel’” The children of Jim & Beryl still own this historic hotel.
In 1999 Jim came back to Wooroolin to celebrate the 80th birthday of Hylton Freeman and sat with my Dad & Mum during the dinner. Lovely long long friendship! He also came back to Wooroolin for the Centenary of the school in 2001.
Jim died in 2008 and is buried at Buderim Lawn Crematorium and Memorial Gardens where he joined his wife Beryl who died in 1995.
Lest We Forget