AustLit

James Darwen was the grandson of William Henry Darwen (q.v.) who founded The Bowen Independent in 1903, and the son of Douglas James Darwen (q.v.) who edited the newspaper from 1931 to 1950. Following in their footsteps, he was apprenticed as a linotype operator and worked at the Independent for 12 years. Taking a break from the newspaper trade, he farmed cane and small crops in the Gumlu area for 10 years, before returning to the Independent in 1972. He was a jack-of-all-trades, working as a photographer, selling advertisements and distributing the newspapers until he retired at age 65.