Dads Eulogy and life story......
In 1932;
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed .
The 3rd Ever Winter Olympic Games were held .
It was the time of the “The Great Depression” .
Phar Lap was racing in America .
The Dog on the Tucker box was unveiled .
It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" was climbing the music charts.
And on the 8th of June 1932 at the Crown St Women’s Hospital in Surry Hills Sydney
James Alfred Gale came into this world
Along with his Twin Brother George
Jimmy’s proud Parents “Jim and Francis”
Couldn’t have been happier
Right from the beginning, Jimmy,
And his partner in fun, Georgie, won the hearts of all who ventured within 50 feet of them.
At the tender age of 5 Jimmy began Tap Dance lessons “Which he excelled at”
The Yvonne Goodman School of Dance, in Glebe,
Is where it all began and he continued dancing right through to the age of 14
Jimmy was a natural Tap Dancer, Singer and all round Entertainer with an irresistible smile
When he was between the ages of 7 to 13
The 2nd World War was in full flight
It was in those years that the all singing, all dancing, double act of, Jimmy and Georgie, Entertained our troops, Performing all over Sydney with the
“Australian Entertainment Unit”
It was also in these years that the;
“Australian Andrew Sisters” evolved
Jimmy plus Georgie and their close mate Graham Nash
Got dressed up to the nines and assumed the role of “The Australian Andrew Sisters”
Belting out all the favourite tunes from
“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” to
“Don’t sit under the apple tree”
And they delighted everyone, fortunate enough to experience their shows
Young Jimmy Gale was quick with his feet but also with his mind.
At school, from 1st class to 6th class he topped all of his grades with ease and then at the age of 12 graduated to the 2nd highest public school in Australia
“Fort St Glebe” which only allowed top scholars to enter.
Apart from Dancing, Studying and generally getting into mischief, Jimmy was also in the work force at a young age making his first pennies with a milk run and also with a paper run from Forest Lodge to Glebe and down to Harold Park where he got his first taste of Greyhound racing.
From the ages of 15 to 20 Jimmy lived with his family at Redfern, In those years he enjoyed playing junior rugby league, going to boxing match’s and of course dazzling the girls with his dancing and that mischievous smile.
It was at this point in his life that he also gained experience in the fruit industry working side by side with his Brother George, his Father Jim and Uncle Charlie; this was the beginning of “The Batlow Boys”
At the age of 20 Jimmy was head over heels in love with the girl of his dreams, Joy, and in 1952 Jimmy and Joy decided to marry and move to Annandale.
It’s here that they started their family with the arrival of their first little girl, then in 1956 they moved to Seven Hills and , had three more beautiful girls.
Jimmy’s girls, “Were his world”
And over the next 50 years
His world grew considerably, and he was delighted
He truly loved the quality time spent with his girls, his grandchildren and his extended family which he often spoke to us about lovingly.
He has lived with Judy, Steve and the family in
Hervey Bay for the the last 7 years.
He lived on the Gold Coast for two years with Debbie and Hope .
And all the while, he was still travelling far and wide across the country side
At times, almost a gypsy
But always, the salesman and fast talker!
Jimmy was a very good cricketer and he loved the game immensely.
Greyhound racing was also a big part of Jimmy’s life
With champions such as;
· Patches Mate
· Razzas Mate,
Kadirli and many more.....
Always flying underneath the radar and usually breaking the sound barrier at the same time, was our Jimmy.
He was a fun loving larrikin and an outrageou rascal who left a lasting impression on everybody who met him.
He had a powerful mind and didn’t need a calculator or an Encyclopaedia to carry around with him, because he had it all “Upstairs”
The volume of information he had stored and could easily recall at the drop of a hat was truly incredible,
He could hold a conversation on such a wide range of subjects that I couldn’t even begin to right them down, and yet he had them all stored, “Upstairs”
Jimmy was successful in business and was highly respected with in the fruit trade community of wholesalers and farmers
And of course, his faithful customers would wait for the “Batlow Boys” to arrive with their beautiful fruit straight from the family farm.
He was a Tap Dancer, Entertainer, Singer, Sportsman, Businessman
He was a Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather,
Brother, Cousin, Uncle, Genuine Friend, and in the true meaning of the words, “a Great Member of our Family”
Jimmy loved Life, and Life Loved Jimmy,
He was full of enthusiasm in what ever he did
And he always came up Trumps,
It’s no coincidence that Jimmy was a larrikin and a rascal, because he comes from a long line, of, Larrikins and rascals.
Believe me; he will be having an absolute ball up there in heaven with the other half of our family right now,
Just imagine all those larrikins in one place.
Jimmy has left us, but he will always be with us,
We are all very lucky people to have shared our lives with him and even though we must cry, we must also smile and remember Jimmy’s magic, because that is exactly what Jimmy would want us to do.
Give him a smile and “Create positive energy”
Bless you Jimmy
With love and respect from……..Garry
