A FAMILY AFFAIR, FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING

When an 80-year-old Geoff Campbell became a Jim’s Mowing franchisee in 2022, his goal was twofold; retire himself and his wife Gayl, and create something for his daughter Kayleen and her husband to sink their teeth into. He never quite anticipated that four years on, he'd be handing them the keys to a multi-million-dollar operation spanning a large chunk of North Queensland, becoming something of a poster boy for the Jim’s franchise in the meantime. And after a journey of rapid business growth and national media coverage, Geoff’s finally getting the retirement he originally set out for. Kayleen and husband Stan joined Geoff in the Burdekin last month, leaving their life in Perth to take the reins of the franchise and finally give her parents a chance to step back. “We literally packed up our whole life. My husband retired from trucking after 49 years, and now we’re here to try and retire the parents,” Kayleen said. The couple now have the task of building on everything Geoff has created. It began as a relatively modest Cannonvale franchise. Within a year, it had clients across Airlie Beach, Townsville and the Burdekin. All the while, Geoff, who had spent most of his life in mining and construction, had become one of Jim’s Mowing’s biggest success stories, appearing on Australian television to tell his story. And his formula is simpler than you would imagine. “I’ve never passed an exam in my life,” he quipped. “Everything I've achieved is through respect, integrity, loyalty, and common sense.” Kayleen added: “We’ve got big shoes to fill.” “We’ll just keep it as it’s running and expand as we go. As long as we have [Geoff] still here, we’ll be fine!” Kayleen steps into Jim’s Mowing with pedigree of her own, having previously run her own Perth cleaning business with 38 private customers before making the move east. Her experience comes at a time when the business has expanded well beyond its mowing roots, now operating across the region under three Jim’s banners—Mowing, Handyman and, most recently, Window & Pressure Cleaning. The team handles everything from regular lawn mowing, gardening, pruning and hedging to rubbish removal, weed spraying and gutter cleaning, as well as home and office cleaning and pressure cleaning. But Kayleen said the business and its services are only as good as the people behind them. “Our staff are our extended family,” she said. “If we didn’t have the team we have now, we wouldn’t have the business.” And with family now steering the ship, Geoff says the business is preparing for “quite a few developments” involving multinational companies. But for now, he's just “really proud” to have his daughter onboard. “What parent wouldn’t be?” For more information on the business and its services, contact Kayleen on 0437 368 060 or Geoff on 0439 799 544 CAPTION: When Geoff Campbell became a Jim’s Mowing franchisee in 2022, he wanted to create something for his daughter Kayleen to sink their teeth into. Photo: Jacob Casha.

BURDEKIN FIRE CREW RESPONDS TO TOWNSVILLE CBD BLAZE

Burdekin Generosity Raises $1,400 For Families In Need

What began as a modest fundraising goal has turned into an incredible show of Burdekin generosity, with $1,403.10 raised for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Organiser Kaylee Boccalatte initially hoped the fundraiser might collect around $200, but support from across the community saw the final total climb to more than seven times that amount. The funds could provide around a fortnight of accommodation for families needing a home away from home while their child receives care. Community members supported the cause by donating, buying raffle tickets, visiting the fundraising stall and spreading the word. Local businesses My Vibe Homewares and Slice of Europe also donated prizes, while Burdekin School lent a game board to support the fundraiser. Kaylee credited the result to the community, saying while her team collected the funds, the generosity behind the $1,403.10 total belonged to the Burdekin. A small idea, a big heart, and another beautiful example of locals looking out for others.