Q Are You? Find out more about local music promoter and museum worker James Thompson

Find out more about music promoter and museum worker James Thompson and how a Kombi breakdown led to his love affair with Geraldton.

How did you come to live in Geraldton and how long have you called it home?

I was travelling from down south Victoria and my travelling friend Jane’s 1970s VW Kombi broke down requiring a full engine rebuild. We ended up getting work here, rented a cheap farmhouse at Moonyoonooka, met some amazing people who took us under their wings and I slowly learnt about the Mid West and its history. I enjoyed the blue skies most days and a steady Mediterranean climate, and also the great potential Geraldton could have. Note; this was late 1990s when it was predominantly a crayfishing and farming economy. I’ve been here now 25-26 years.

What’s your day job and the best thing about it?

I juggle several jobs, main ones being exhibition tech officer at the Museum of Geraldton, music promoter and a gardening round that I started after a couple of part-time jobs as a trades assistant for JG Engineering and stripping the roof of some wheat silos by the port, plus the occasional photography shoot and exhibition install at the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery.

What do you do for fun? Travel (not as a tourist but a visitor) and learning about people, cultures and countries, as well as festivals, music gigs, and gathering people together.

What’s a habit you would most like to break and one you would most like to start? Balance life and work better. Would love to work a four-day week and have a three-day weekend.

Finish the sentence: Come to Geraldton for the ____, stay for the _____.

Come to Geraldton for the chilled lifestyle, no freeway traffic jams (except for school drop-off/pick-up times), stay for the lifestyle (it’s what you make it).

If you weren’t in Geraldton, where would you be?

Freezing in Victoria.

Who inspires you the most?

There are many friends, colleagues, some celebs, but mostly my family, especially my parents who lived extraordinary lives and battles but kept smiling.

If money was no object, what would you do? Maybe early retirement, build a house, enjoy my hobbies more, and get my mum’s eyes fixed for good as #1 so she can travel easier.

What’s something that never goes out of style and something that should never be in style in the first place? A good chat. Celebrity politicians.

What song sums up your life right now? Too many to mention, although an old song, this one is dedicated to my mum. Looking back over my life, she gave me great freedom to discover, so Lenny Kravitz’s Always on the Run.