Jim Saunders is remembered by The Gympie Times

Jim Saunders has been remembered as a tradesman, compositor, sportsman, mate, father and husband who lived his life as an ‘ordinary Australian’.

Jim Saunders was a compositor with the Gympie Times.

For 51 years Jim Saunders worked as a compositor for The Gympie Times. He saw the newspaper move from lead to hand print and finally, to digital.

It is with great sadness, The Gympie Times farewells the tradesman, compositor, sportsman, mate, father and husband, who lived his life as an “ordinary Australian” in Gympie.

Joan Saunders, his wife of 63 years, had a small private gathering to farewell him on Sunday.

“She’ll be right mate, that’s one of his sayings,” Mrs Saunders said.

“He was a very social person and he liked people’s company and they liked his.”

Nev McHarg, a previous editor at The Gympie Times, said he met Mr Saunders when he started out as an apprentice in 1966.

Eric Kelly, Michael Roser, ex-editor Nev McHarg, Wes Fleming and Jim Saunders (far right) enjoy the Gympie Times’ 150th birthday celebrations.

“I was an apprentice. He was a tradesman. It was as simple as that,” Mr McHarg said.

Mr Saunders started out as a newspaper delivery boy, working and sweeping the floor until becoming a compositor, he said

“You’d start at 10am and then finish at 4am. That was just the way work was back then.

“Jimmy was a really good workmate. We had a lot of good times together. He enjoyed life and he was an excellent sportsman.”

With the shift of the printing press to the Gympie Industrial Estate, floods presented a few problems in getting the pages to the press. In 1989 they went by boat. Handing over the pages at Deep Creek near Inglewood Bridge were (from left) Dave Bower, Ivan McNicholl, Michael Roser, Wayne Gosley, Jim Saunders, Rod Bateman and Ray Zeric.

Mr Saunders loved sport and could kick with either his left or his right foot, said Mr McHarg.

Trips down to Brisbane playing cricket or rugby against other newspaper teams were among many memories of Mr McHarg’s.

He was a father for 36 years to Russell, who was “a bright mind confined to a dysfunctional body,” said Mr McHarg.

Gympie Times staff in the 1960s include Bevan Wilson, Jim Saunders, Frank Watson, Nev McHarg, Ray Clarke, Harold Soloman, Malcolm Dickson and Norm Phillips. Picture: Contributed

“He was a good friend, a good, loyal friend that was always ready to help anyone.

“Jimmy enjoyed life. He liked to have a beer, go to the races and have a punt.”

Mrs Saunders said everyone would always ask him when they came around: “Where’s the stubby?”

“He just always had a stubby in the fridge and when his mates came over, they’d always have one with him,” she said.

A husband of 63 years, a father for 36 years and helping print newspapers for 51 years, Mr Saunders will be remembered by many within the Gympie community.