JAMES (Jim) ROBERT CRAWLEY was born in Ebbw Vale Qld on the 15th April 1926, the fifth child —of 8 children—of George Henry Crawley (1893-1954) and Margaret Jane Pollard (1893-1932).
Jim’s mother passed away when he was just 6 years old and he lived with his father and 7 siblings in Ipswich until they moved to Toohey St Kangaroo Point in Brisbane.
He was quite a tall young fellow and told Tania that when he was 11 or 12 years old, he started smoking to make himself look older so he could get a job. He gained employment at Hancock & Gore Sawmill in Annerley near the Princess Alexander Hospital.

A few years later, Jim and his younger brother Pat, along with friend Roy ‘Bull’ Gadsby went on the train in late 1947 ‘out west’ looking for work, they arrived at Narine Station (Dirranbandi) which was one of the properties in the Noondoo cluster owned by the Australian Pastoral Company at the time. While Pat returned to Brisbane in 1951, Jim stayed, married and raised his family in Dirranbandi where he lived till his death in 1984.

Jim married Una Weatherall in 1955 in Dirranbandi and built a house in Ida Street where they raised three children, Lloyd, Deborah and Tania, along with Jim’s nephew Brian Milverton— who came to live with them in 1965 aged 15 years.

Jim worked on the Balonne Shire Council in Dirranbandi for over 20 years, while on the job he had something hit his eye while mowing. While Doctors in Brisbane were investigating his eye, a tumour was found behind his eye, resulting in it being removed. Due to it being a pre-existing condition he was unable to get workers compensation. It was a tough time for Jim and Una. 
 His daughter Tania, remembers that his prosthetic eye, in her early memories was either plastic or resin and didn't match his other eye in colour very well, in fact it was a cloudy green when his eye was blue. In later years he was fitted with a glass eye which was a good match with his own eye. Nieces and nephews of 'Uncle Jimmy's' will recall when they visited, they would always knock and ask if he had his eye in, as they were a little afraid of him when it wasn't in, especially when visiting at night.
When Jim passed, Tania ensured Jim's eye was in place and is unable to part with his 'spare' glass eye which is still in a jar amongst his memorabilia. His spare eye has been valuable in explaining to children in Jim's family about the importance of protecting their eyes. 
Jim liked a bet on the horses and had a thing for gadgets! he loved tinkering in the shed, fixing mowers and making things. He was keen to be one of the first to buy a colour TV when they came to town. He had a movie camera and projector and movie nights we and our cousins featured in were always fun. He always bought new cars; his first a very dark blueFord Mercury (not a Buik as first thought), then a Holden EK- white with a blue stipe down the side and finally a Kingswood Station Wagon- white with a red roof. 
He was a clever man and built the family home in Ida St Dirranbandi with no training or qualifications. He included built-in cupboards in the main bedroom and all rooms in the home had in-wall sliding doors. 

Jim’s wife Una was an Aboriginal Australian and Jim was very supportive of Una and her family. Una’s sister and her family lived on the river bank in Dirranbandi when her husband passed away, leaving her widowed with nine children. Jim and Una split their block of land so Una’s sister and the children could live next door, and a local farming family provided the materials. Jim along with one of Una’s uncles and other family members built them a home.

Jim was a compassionate, loving and caring man, who could also be stern and sometimes harsh and hold a grudge. One example around 1976 Una had been struggling with Leukemia for some years and her cousin in NSW told them of a Chinese herbalist in Sydney. Jim drove Una along with her (Aboriginal) cousin to Sydney approximately 13-hour drive (at that time) to visit the herbalist. He had always given generously to the Salvation Army and as they owned the ‘Peoples Palace Hotel’ in Sydney where Jim tried to get a room to stay. Unfortunately, they were turned away and told that ‘there was a place down the road for him and his two black women’ Jim was horrified and angry and concerned about where to go and what to do in the big city, and tried to hide what had happened from Una as she was really unwell. Till the day Jim passed he never gave to the Salvation Army ever again and told his kids to never give as well.

Jim was a good letter writer and often wrote to his siblings, especially his eldest sister Nell, and sent birthday cards to them all. When his daughters went to boarding school (in those days they didn’t have a telephone) Jim would write letters; Tania says she received the local newspaper early in the week and a longer letter later in the week from her father.

Jim passed away from Cancer at The Royal Brisbane Hospital on the 26th March 1984. None of his family members are resting in Dirranbandi they are as follows:

•  Eldest sister Nell McArthur (Ellen) and Brother Fred (Richard Fredrick) are both resting in Mt Gravatt Cemetery and Crematorium.
• Brother Jack (John Melbourne) is at Hemmant Cemetery.
•  George was cremated in Brisbane, and a plaque was erected at Pinnaroo Gardens Albany Creek in his memory.
•  Brother Alfred is at Wurril Park Lawn Cemetery in Willowbank
• Peggy (Margaret Flinn)- Brian's mother—is buried in Maryborough.

As at March 2025, only one of Jim’s siblings is still living, in Brisbane. 

Information shared by Jim’s daughter Tania (Sept 2023).