Jim attended Scotch from 1961 to 1963 as a boarder in McMeckan and School Houses. He was a member of the 1963 Athletics team.
In 1968 Jim served in the Vietnam War as a Private in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. He ducked when he should have weaved, and was badly wounded, resulting in him being sent back to Australia. Jim returned to farming and butchering before branching out into property development.