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 bashed to death in his own home has issued a desperate plea for help to find those responsible.

Jim Hill, 79, died after suffering 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 following the vicious assault, he didn’t recover from his injuries and died  Toowoomba Hospital 11 days later.

Police have launched a homicide 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.

‘The more we get this information out, the more we can find out what happened,’ Ms Hill said.

The devastated daughter, who was first on the scene, believed the attack on her father was random. 

‘There’s no motive behind this, it’s completely out of the blue — he was no threat to anybody, he was only going to be in the house for a short term before moving up north,’ she said.

‘He’d only been living there for three weeks — he just wanted to retire up north and go fishing.’

Darling Downs Detective Inspector Heath McQueen asked for anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage of the area around Hood Street at the time of the incident to hand it to police.

Mr Hill was well know for giving free rides in his 1917 GMC, which is Australia’s oldest registered bus

He said the offender appeared to have entered the property through its rear door and struck Mr Hill several times in the head and upper body with a hard object.  

Police declined to say what information Mr Hill was able to give about the attack. 

Neighbours say they were unaware of the attack until police attended the scene in numbers the next day. 

Tributes have been pouring in for the kind-hearted businessman who was well known for giving free rides in his 1917 GMC, which is Australia’s oldest registered bus.

At one stage Mr Hill’s company ran more than 200 buses all over the state.

Ms Hill called her father a ‘larger than life character’.

‘He worked and did play hard occasionally and knew how to enjoy himself.

‘Anyone who found themselves in trouble, Jim was always the first person you’d call.’

According to his daughter, Mr Hill was getting ready to retire when his life tragically ended

Lockyer Valley mayor Tanya Milligan said Mr Hill had made a lasting contribution to south east Queensland and his ‘cheeky dry wit’ would be ‘sadly missed’.

‘His legacy within the Gatton Bus Service and bus and coach industry in general will live on forever,’ she said.

Lockyer state MP Jim McDonald called Mr Hill’s death a ‘senseless tragedy’.

‘His name is synonymous with Queensland’s bus and coach industry,’ Mr McDonald said

‘Jim and his family, through their business, have been a pillar of support for numerous community and sporting groups, leaving an indelible mark on our community.’

Mr Hill’s business the Gatton and Minden Bus Service at one stage operated around 200 buses across Queensland