Awarded Life Membership 7 July 1969
Birth: 23 October 1899, Sydney NSW
Death: 24 August 1978, Sydney NSW (78 years)
James and his younger brother Richmond (Dick) were taught to swim by their mother Freda and swam at Manly Amateur Swimming Club.
Despite his prowess in the pool, Jim moved into administration including roles with the New South Wales Amateur Swimming Association and in 1924 paid his own way to accompany the Australian Olympic team to Paris.
In the early years, the Commonwealth Games movement in Australia was managed by the same officials who managed the Olympic movement in Australia and the origins of Commonwealth Games Australia go back to October 1929 when the Australian British Empire Games Association committee was formed with Mr. E.S. Marks as Chairman and Jim, who was then Australian Olympic Federation Secretary, as of the newly formed Commonwealth Games body Secretary.
Jim played a central role in the organisation of the Australian teams at the first and second editions of the Empire Games, in Hamilton 1930 and London 1934 respectively.
Jim served as secretary from its foundation until 1969 – a staggering 40 years.
He was Company Secretary of the Sydney 1938 British Empire Games Organising Committee and Honorary General Manager and Chef de Mission of the Australian teams at the (Vancouver 1954, Cardiff 1958 Games.
Jim served the Olympic Games movement as Australian Olympic Federation Secretary-Treasurer (1924-1947), as a member of the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games Organising Committee and as Australian Team Secretary-Treasurer (Paris 1924, where brother Dick Eve won gold in the plain high diving) and General Manager (Los Angeles 1932).
A keen golfer, he founded Balgowlah Golf Club in 1926 and was the full-time secretary at Oaklands Gold Club in Sydney from 1946-1956.
He was also a life member of the Australian Olympic Federation and New South Wales Sports Club and in 1951 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his service to amateur sport.
Jim Eve remained a bachelor and died on 24 August 1978 in Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown.
