Legendary local country music songwriter the late Jim Wesley has been honoured with a memorial park seat constructed in his name at Coopernook on the banks of the Lansdowne River.
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The memorial salutes his contribution to the Australian country music scene and the many great songs he wrote.
At one time Jim was widely accepted to be one of Australia’s most prolific country songwriters and went on to have over one hundred of his songs recorded.
Some of the most famous country artists to record Jim’s songs include legends Slim Dusty, Ann Kirkpatrick, Buddy Williams, Rick and Thel Carey, Arthur and Jewel Blanch, Rex Dallas, Barry Thornton, Margie Rayburn (USA), Terry Gordon, Neville Bradley, Shorty Ranger and Pixi Jenkins.
His two biggest hits were the Anzac song “White Crosses in the Jungle” and “Namatjira” first recorded by Slim Dusty on his Heritage Album EMI.
In 2004 Jim was inducted into Tamworth’s Country Music’s Hands of Fame and was awarded “The Song Makers Award” by the Tamworth Song Writers Association in 2010 at the Country Music Festival.
Sadly the award was presented posthumously after his passing in December 2009.
Born in Glen Innes, Jim’s parents owned a farm 12 miles (19 kilometres) from town. Like so many, as a child his favourite artists were the Carter family.
In 1937 young Jim wrote his first poem and won a school competition. By 1945 he had published a book of poems called “My Australian Paradise”.
In the mid 1950s Dame Mary Gilmore advised him to try writing song lyrics. From then on Jim wrote lyrics in an endless stream for numerous country artists.
Jim, wife Dorothy and five children, Sue, Andria, Steve, Michael and Nigel moved to Coopernook were they owned a general store opposite the Coopernook Hotel for many years.
Jim and wife Dorothy moved to Laurieton in 1988 were he ran a second hand business in the main street before retiring in 1995.
The memorial at Coopernook was made possible through the Australian Bush Balladeers Association and The Tamworth Song Writers Association, family and friends.
