James Herbert Tandy was born in Ideworth (London), England in 1933 and fell in love with football at a very young age. Jim achieved the Higher National Certification in Mechanical Engineering and served in the Royal Air Force for two years. Jim married his wife, Ann in 1960 and moved to Canada in 1965 where Jim worked as a machine designer for several engineering companies in Toronto.

  Jim Tandy was one of the founders of the North York Soccer Referees' Association (NYSRA). At NYSRA's inaugural meeting in 1971 Jim was elected Secretary/Treasurer of the branch, a position which he held for several terms. In 1974 Jim became a Class 3 referee and in 1976 as well as in 1985 he was the President and Referee-in-Chief of NYSRA. In 1980 Jim received the Al Golby Memorial Award for his on and off-field contributions. Jim always made a point of participating regularly in NYSRA's general meetings and educational sessions and he remained a full-fledged member of NYSRA.

  Jim was always a sportsman at heart. He was always helpful and ready to pitch in when needed. Jim volunteered to officiate in many "Robbie tournament" games over the years. Whereas he refereed at all ages and levels of soccer, Jim was always young at heart and preferred doing youth games, whenever given the choice. Although he was 6-foot-2, with an imposing build, Jim never had to resort to intimidation when he refereed. His presence and personality always carried more weight. While he knew all the Laws inside-out, Jim never lost sight of the Spirit of the Game, his decisions were firm but fair. He was a leader and a worker who never strayed far from the grassroots, always motivated by his love of the game and a strong desire to see it played the way it should be: sportingly.

  On July 24, 1998 Jim collapsed from a heart attack, doing what he loved best - refereeing a soccer game. With his whistle in hand and an OSRA badge upon his chest, Jim left us all behind suddenly, at age 64. Very fittingly, he was buried in his full referee uniform. Jim was an integral part of NYSRA and the soccer and officiating community and is dearly missed by his colleagues, friends and family.