The writer (Bob Mawson) first knew of Jim in the mid seventies when the writer joined the Queensland branch and met him for the first time at the 1980 branch AGM. Jim was secretary at the time and was nominated once again for the position. When asked if he would accept the nomination a one word reply was received,"No". A few minutes later I found myself the new branch secretary. At the end of the meeting Jim handed over to me all of the bits and pieces that go with the Secretary's position, wished me good luck and said good night.
I next met Jim at the 1983 branch AGM, I was standing down as secretary and Jim had agreed to stand for the position to which he was duly elected. From this time, Jim and I started to work fairly closely together, he as secretary and myself as exhibition secretary for the following year. From that time, I found Jim to be a very quiet and thoughtful man with a dry sense of humour who took his duties seriously and in many ways saw those duties as a challenge. Many a meeting I've attended with Jim and the other members of the Branch COM and the rest of us are all but rolling on the floor after being told a joke or humourous incident. Jim would be sitting there with a grin on his face and having a quiet chuckle to himself. Many a time, I've thought that it wasn't the joke that made him laugh but the fact that the rest of us were making fools of ourselves. It was at the COM meetings that Jim was in his element, a man of few words, he let his graphs and small pieces of coloured cardboard do the talking. When he did speak at length it was generally about meetings he'd attended with the RNA, council, fire brigade, or media organisation regarding the forthcoming exhibition. Peter Sanderson, current Qld branch exhibition manager/secretary, remarked recently just how did Jim get through the workload without a computer but get through it he did and his work is meticulous. Liaising with a hundred plus exhibitors each with their own special demands or requests will try the best of us but not once have I seen Jim angry or upset but I have seen him "get even", always in the most subtle way.
It was Jim who lead the markout team on the setup day of the exhibition. It was Jim who liaised with or suppliers. It was Jim who opened and closed the show daily with the ringing of the 'bells' and lookout anyone who got hold of Jim's bell. Jim spent many an hour out the front of the exhibition halls doing surveys of our patrons and it was always Jim who was last to leave the Exhibition Halls when the show was over. It was his through his quiet manner and work load that he lifted people to get the job done.
Like all of us Jim came into the Association because of his love of trains and railways, particularly narrow gauge railways. His modelling work is exquisite. On numerous occasions at the end of a meeting he would produce his latest masterpiece which always created a great deal of discussion amongst those viewing the model, "a little bit of this, some of that and one of those, I did it while watching tv with mum" he'd reply which left the rest of us scratching our heads.
Jim Christie is one of those individuals who throughout his association with the Queensland branch has given far more to the hobby than he has ever received, a quiet and modest achiever in every sense of the word, a friend and compatriot who I have been very fortunate to know over the years.
