Cairns business community mourns loss of Jim Bradley

A huge supporter of the Cairns Taipans and Cairns business stalwart has been remembered as a passionate advocate for the region and a good mate to many.

Former Media HQ, owners Amanda and the late Jim Bradley.

A huge supporter of the Cairns Taipans and Cairns business stalwart has been remembered as a passionate advocate for the region and a good mate to many.

Jim Bradley died at the Northern Beaches on Tuesday evening.

Most recently businessman ventured into sales of underwater remotely operated vehicles through the autonomous vehicle business EdgeROV.

Long before then Mr Bradley was the personally behind the creation of business networking events and was the life of the party at the Quarterly Club that he founded in the 1990s.

Local businessman Jim Bradley pictured when launching the Move Your Job to Cairns campaign in 2020. Picture: Stewart McLean

Good mate Danny Betros said Mr Bradley’s connection to Cairns business leaders was an invaluable resource when he first moved north during the late 1980s.

“Jim was a very good friend and we go back 30 years,” he said.

“In his heyday he was the focal point of a lot of social groups and organised a lot of stuff.

“He has been a good friend and drinking buddy and we were both into fishing and boating jet skis.

“He was a big supporter of the Taipans and Amanda his wife made (players) feel welcome in Cairns.

“In life people come and go and some people’s passing affects you more than others.

“We are all a lot sadder for hearing about it.”

After suffering a heart attack on Valentine’s Day in 2015 Jim Bradley has made a donation of an ipad and iphone to Cairns Hospital’s Cardiac Maniacs Cardiac Challenge team to help their fundraising efforts. Fund raising. PICTURE: JUSTIN BRIERTY

From the late 1980s Mr Bradley joined NEC Australia was responsible for general support of dealers throughout Queensland and in 1994 he became the founding director of the NTD group specialising in supply and installation of NEC and LG-Ericsson telephone systems.

Delivery of Telstra Business Systems became a focus for the Northern Beaches businessman in 2008 when he became the managing director of TBS Distribution.

The well-established local businessman worked in telecommunications services for more than 30 years, picking up multiple National Distributor of the Year awards with Telstra before the company’s transition to distribution and resale under the Edge Smartech brand.

In 2020 the businessman spearheaded a campaign for Melbourne and Sydney residents to move businesses to Far North Queensland while at the helm of his Media HQ business centre.

Mr Bradley reached into his own pocket to fund a social media campaign specifically targeting capital cities worst hit by Covid to encourage the relocating of businesses to Cairns.

And in 2022 Superyacht Group welcomed Mr Bradley to the team as its newest executive committee member.

Mr Mr Bradley is survived by his wife Amanda and her three sons he raised as his own.

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Originally published as Cairns business community mourns loss of Jim Bradley