Daughter’s desperate plea after her businessman father Jim Hill was brutally bashed to death in ‘random attack’
The heartbroken daughter of a prominent businessman who was allegedly beaten to death in his own home has issued a desperate plea for help to find those responsible.
Jim Hill, 79, died after blunt force trauma to his head during the attack in the south-east Queensland town of Gatton in the Lockyer Valley on Anzac Day.
Although Mr Hill was able to call emergency services and his daughter Tayla after the brutal attack, he did not recover from his injuries and died in Toowoomba Hospital 11 days later.
Police have launched a murder investigation into his death.
Ms Hill – who co-owned the Gatton and Minden Bus Service with her father – has urged anyone with information to come forward.
Jim Hill, 79, (pictured left with his daughter Tayla) was fatally beaten in his home on Anzac Day
“The more we get this information out, the better we can figure out what happened,” Ms Hill said.
The devastated daughter, who was the first on the scene, believed the attack on her father was random.
“There’s no motive behind it, it’s completely out of the blue – he wasn’t a threat to anyone, he was only going to be in the house for a short period of time before moving north,” she said.
“He’d only lived there for three weeks, he just wanted to retire up north and go fishing.”
Darling Downs Inspector Heath McQueen asked anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage of the Hood Street area at the time of the incident to hand it over to police.
Mr Hill was known for giving free rides in his 1917 GMC, Australia’s oldest registered bus
He said the perpetrator appeared to have entered the property through the back door and struck Mr Hill several times on the head and upper body with a hard object.
Police declined to say what information Mr Hill could provide about the attack.
Neighbors say they were unaware of the attack until police arrived en masse the next day.
Tributes poured in for the kind-hearted businessman known for giving free rides in his 1917 GMC, Australia’s oldest registered bus.
At one point, Mr. Hill’s company operated more than 200 buses across the state.
Mrs. Hill called her father a “larger than life character.”
‘He worked and played hard at times and knew how to enjoy himself.
“Anyone who was in trouble, Jim was always the first person you called.”
According to his daughter, Mr. Hill was on the verge of retirement when his life tragically ended
Lockyer Valley Mayor Tanya Milligan said Hill made a lasting contribution to south-east Queensland and his “cheeky, dry humour” would be “sadly missed”.
“His legacy within the Gatton Bus Service and the bus and coach industry in general will live on forever,” she said.
Lockyer state MP Jim McDonald called Hill’s death a “senseless tragedy.”
“His name is synonymous with the bus and coach industry in Queensland,” Mr McDonald said
“Jim and his family have been a pillar of support for countless community and sporting groups through their business, leaving an indelible mark on our community.”
Mr Hill’s company, the Gatton and Minden Bus Service, at one point operated about 200 buses across Queensland