Jim Zimin, a Zabaykalsky Cossack, was born in Stretensk, Siberia, on 26 November 1902. After the 1918 -22 Civil war, he crossed into China, lived in Harbin and gained Chauffer- Mechanics certificate in 1925.
Jim arrived in Brisbane 12 March 1927 and worked at several locations in Queensland before going to Katherine (Brisbane, Childers, Cordalba, Thangool, Darwin, Katherine, Adelaide river). He took up land at Adelaide River in 1929 and was farming with Evstegney Belokriloff - Евстегней Белокрылов.
They took up block 109 with Tokmakoff, Dejulia, Sapitsky and Mikhailoff later that year - by 1930 I. Zimmin & Co worked the block.
He also took out a miners right for 1931 -1932.
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| photo courtesy Katherine Historical society |
Jim returned to Katherine in 1931 and grew peanuts on block 210. He experimented with millet and cotton in 1939 and got 6 bags ( 600 lb - 273 kg ) of cotton seed. He apparently acquired an old cotton gin in 1950 but no further planting occurred.
In 1938 he helped prepare a petition for the minister of the Interior complaining about the lack of quality seed. After testing, fresh seed was made available from Jim's farm.
During the war Jim supplied the Army with tomatoes, cabbages, watermelons and pumpkins. In 1939, he acquired a second - hand tractor and used it, plus aboriginal help, during this period. In 1942, the 101 /121 Australian General Hospital was built on a portion of Jim's land - now the site of the meat works. A portion of the Stuart Highway was built through block 210 to link up with the weir / dam that had been built as part of the highway upgrading work - now its the low level bridge. Jim grew vegetables for the hospital and used Army water in exchange for not being recompensed for his land. In 1943 he employed 3 aborigines, by 1944 four. He was receiving good prices for this produce until 1946, when Army needs ceased.
Post War peanuts growing was unsatisfactory - crown rot diseases affected the crop and halted profitable production. It is said the Jim owed a lot to the "old Man" (his partner) the partner of the pair. Under his direction, Jim was capable of properly running his farm - after he died the farm declined.
The 1957 flood forced Jim to abandon farming and take a job with the CSIRO. In 1962, Jim sold 200 acres to the newly established meat works. In 1971 he gave up most of block 210 and lived on lot 458 ( the remainder ) until his death from a heart attack on the 31 August 1974.
Jim was naturalized in 1934 and was described as "5 feet 8 1/4 inches in boots", with blue eyes, fair hair and a prominent scar on his forehead. He returned to Harbin in 1935 -1936 with Ivanetz and Tokmakoff and visited New Zealand in 1947. He joined the RAOB lodge in 1948. In 1949 Jim patented a machine for cleaning peanuts and peanut plants - this was the first agricultural patent awarded to a NT resident.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183151789/innokentiy-timofeevich-zimin
https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/zimin-innokentiy-temofeevech-jim-12094