Sunshine Coast Council
James ‘Jim’ Hocking
James ‘Jim’ Hocking was born in Nambour as the second child of William and Eva Hocking’s five children. When war was declared in 1939, three Hocking boys were ready to sign up. As soon as Jim turned 18, he enlisted with the Citizens Military Forces before being discharged after four months to take up acceptance in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942.
He was sent to England to train on the heavy bombers of the RAF during World War Two. On July 28, 1944, the 21-year-old RAAF pilot was flying a Stirling Bomber or “flying coffin” during a final training run before heading into battle.
The Consolidated Election is today, and Wayne and Edwards counties have several key contested races. The county courthouses are not open for voting today, so people will need to go to other polling places. We’ll have election coverage tonight on 104.9 WFIW beginning at 7, and we’ll provide updates every 15 to 20 minutes until all precincts have reported in.
The Albion City Council met last night and discussed placing a new backhoe in the upcoming budget, as a current backhoe is in need of major repair work. The council was also reminded of a three percent increase in water rates, effective next month, and it heard of a plan by Ataraxia to construct a new building. The city sewer system could be overtaxed if a larger restroom facility is built.