"Jim Paterson was educated at Hurlstone Agricultural College and East Sydney Technical College where he learned woolclassing. His career was interrupted by World War 2, which took him to Western Australia with the 2nd Division Signals for three years and then to Morotai in the then-named Netherlands East Indies. He returned to Western Australia to marry . Woolclassing took him from North Queensland to Tasmania until he and his brother tried their hands at growing wheat near Gunnedah, N.S.W.
In 1955 he worked as Charting Officer for the Agricultural Bank of Tasmania until he took up a War Service Land Settlement block on King Island where he and his family were successful at raising sheep and beef cattle for thirty-five years. [This period forms the basis for A Settler's Tale] At various times he has been a sheep station manager, a taxi truck driver, woolscour sorter, wool buyer and with Adult Education taught skin tanning and wrote notes for the Book Discussion Service. His poems reflect some of his experiences in all these spheres. On retirement from farming Paterson moved to Hobart."
Source: cover Dear God and Other Lamentations (2005)
