Jim MacAskill: The beloved Hobart barber whose laughter will echo down the years
The daughter of a larger-than-life Scottish barber, who took over his Hobart shop amid her dad’s declining health, has remembered her late father’s myriad interests and dedication to his craft.
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The irreverent jokes and cheeky banter of Jim MacAskill, the much loved Scottish barber of New Town, will flow no more.
Mr MacAskill, 79, died peacefully in his sleep and his daughter Eliza says he’ll be a hard act to follow as she continues to run the barber shop he worked in until the day before he died.
“Dad came in every day and he cut hair for a few hours the day before he died,” Eliza said.
“He died peacefully in bed on Tuesday Melbourne Cup Day, his favourite day of the year.
“Everyone says he was known for telling his great jokes.
“He called a spade a spade.
“He was a Highland Scotsman, he would always say what he thought, such as, ‘I’ve had a long day so try not to talk crap’.
“I’ll take over from dad and keep the 100-year-old family tradition going.”
He clocked up 65 years as a hairdresser after training for five years in Fort William, Scotland.
He moved to Tasmania in 1966.
“He was a 10-pound Pom and had two barber shops in Launceston before he moved to Hobart and the Bank Arcade and then to New Town,” Eliza said.
“He was a champion runner and boxer and loved his soccer too.”
The New Town barber shop is a treasure trove of the loves of his life.
The walls are adorned with photos of Muhammad Ali, who Jim described as “a fantastic man and a fantastic boxer”.
“He refused to go to the war in Vietnam and said ‘the Viet Cong never did anything wrong to me’. It took a brave man to say that to the US Government.”
As well as soccer posters, there is also a framed certificate of one of his runs up Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland.
In 1964 he completed the run up the peak in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 41 seconds.
Mr MacAskill said his favourite part of the job was “the jokes, the laughter, having a bit of fun with the customers”.
He had triple heart bypass surgery 15 years ago and despite his health declining fronted every day to the barber shop.
His only child Eliza, who was asked to represent Australia in men’s hairdressing, cut her first hair when she was 11.
She and 12-year-old dog Daisy will continue to run the shop with part of Mr MacAskill’s ashes are in a whisky cask on the counter with the remaining to be taken back to Scotland.
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Originally published as Jim MacAskill: The beloved Hobart barber whose laughter will echo down the years
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