I first meet James about six years ago at a Eurovision party held by Iain and Tim, I bounced in (running late which is very unlike me) to a gathering of people all geared up to slate Europe's best singing offerings, I done my usual, hug everyone - even if I'd meet them before or not! James was sat in a garden chair and as I went to hug him he said "I'm not a hugger" I said "well you're gonna hate this then" and gave him a big kiss - along with the hug 🤣 after that, whenever we were at the same place, dinner, cocktails, other Euro Vision nights - we sat together. I've had many fab nights with James since, but I always found our first meeting funny which I know he did too - I think it was the garden chair in the middle of Tim's kitchen that makes it funnier..! Bless you all, sending you all my love - I'm completely out of Kleenex and wine now... You are all in my prayers - I miss James, his quick wit and his ability to make me laugh 🥰

May you rest in peace dear James, we haven't seen each other since we were little but I thought of u often along with Stephen & Diane. Sending all my love to you all xoxo Ma te wa xx

Dear Lois, Sending you our deepest condolences for the very sad passing of James. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Lots of love, Kara-Mia and Emmanuel xo

Thinking of you all today and days to follow. We are deeply saddened by the news of James. Sending you strength and love. You are in our hearts. Sorry that we couldn't be there with you today. Love Kara, Noble and Whanau x

Dear Lois and Family, We remember James when we lived in Canberra as a very lovely wee boy. Our condolances to you and your family. xxx

What can we say about James, or ‘Kiwi James’ as we called him. Never on time, in fact reliably late. A self-diagnosed travel addict who had a wonderful fascination for exploring the planet and love of all things Cuban. He certainly amassed more stamps in his passport and saw more of the world than many of his age, however, his age was something that left many of us guessing about in the 15 years that we knew him, even during his birthday dinner outings. He would regularly send Tim and I messages of random statements with absolutely no context which made for great reading and usually a good laugh. Like a picture of a drooping plant, asking if it had too much or too little water, or how to get moisture out of a camera. The last message I got from James was a picture of a guy who had a really bad tattoos asking the simple question…why?! James is a hoarder and collector, who loved art and filling his flat with treasures from his travels. Paintings, bowls, pottery, and anything else he could squeeze onto and between four walls. Paintings hang from every square inch of wall space and his unique taste meant it was like walking into a museum or through a Moroccan bazaar. His love of collecting meant he needed to rent a storage unit in London to make space for more treasure and trips planned abroad. He was talking about selling his flat and moving into a bigger place the last time Tim and I were at his home a couple of months ago, we joked about how much he would have to pack up as part of the moving process and of course, the dusting. Favourite film: Bridesmaids. James has seen this movie countless times, but he laughed like a schoolboy every single time, like it was the first time he watched it. Beard: Long and untrimmed (mainly). His face grew into his beard as opposed to the other way around. Although James was certainly not an over-sharer, he made sure you had snippets of the information and just enough that you needed to know. Brutally honest and always with a glint in his eye. Funniest story: The time he got mugged in Colombia where the assailants took off with his camera on a horse and cart. I have retold this story many times and it never fails to make me laugh. Photography: Loved taking photos, juts never of himself. Hence, I have taken an old work photo from the internet as I have none unfortunately. James was unique and sometimes quirky, but such a good friend of Tim and I. He was my kiwi connection who understood when I talked about just how good kiwi onion dip is, what a proper summer should be like, or kiwi songs from our past which no one else knew. The last night we spent with James recently was such fun, at a pub called The Wrestlers in Highgate. He was on really top form and stayed until closing. Good conversations and laughter throughout the night, his quick fired wit, and James looked genuinely happy. James was a good friend, and we will miss him dearly