Wednesday Lunchtime Lecture: The Jardine and Vidgen Families – Pioneers of Cape York

About the Speaker:

Grahame Jardine-Vidgen was born in the Torres Strait Hospital Thursday Island in Nov 1941, where his mother had been the Matron. His family owned the big cattle and coconut plantation of “Somerset” at the very tip of Cape York, Far North Queensland. He was evacuated with his mother in early 1942, following the bombing of Pearl Harbour in Dec 1941, eventually residing at Chelmer in Brisbane. He attended the Graceville Primary School and the Brisbane Grammar School. He then found employment with the National Bank, and after numerous country postings, he eventually retired as a Senior Accountant and manager of the Securities and Legal Department of the Central Branch in Queen Street Brisbane. During his career he served as a part-time soldier with the Armoured Corps in the 2nd /14th Light Horse Regiment (Qld Mounted Infantry) eventually attaining the rank of Captain. Grahame was also a Director and part-time curator of the Light Horse Museum at Enoggera, a member of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps Association, the Military Historical Society of Qld, the Royal United Service Institute, the United Service Club and the Sunnybank RSL. He is a long time member of the Royal Historical and the Royal Geographical Societies of Queensland. His other interests include The Scottish Clans Congress of Qld, The Celtic Council of Australia, The Society of St. Andrew of Scotland, The Scottish Knight’s Templar and he is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Grahame is also an active member of the Masonic Lodge, having served as the Worshipful Master for four terms in two different lodges. He is presently the Director of Ceremonies for Tarragindi Lodge No. 438. He is married, and lives at Sunnybank Hills, but unfortunately his wife Judy suffers from progressive, degenerative Multiple Sclerosis requiring a considerable amount of full-time attention. Grahame has three daughters. Catherine, the eldest, is a Grants Officer and medical faculty assistant and researcher at QIMR, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research at the Royal Brisbane Hospital. The second daughter, Dr. Melinda Toomey, is a Doctor of Optometry, and is presently involved in Eye-care Optometry at the Uni of Qld, St Lucia. Roslyn the youngest is a Personal Assistant and Data Controller with the Santos, a large mining company. Grahame is also the official genealogist and historian of the historical Jardine and Vidgen families of Cape York North Queensland, and in 2009 was appointed as Chieftain of the Jardines in Australia, by his Scottish cousin, Sir William Jardine of Applegirth, Baronet, and Chief of the Clan Jardine.