Lifelong Passion
My name is Michael Jones. To my friends and throughout my life I was always (and probably always will be) ‘Jonesy’. In the immortal words of Spike Milligan, “I was born at an early age.”
My birthplace was Macclesfield, Cheshire, in the North West of England; not far from Manchester, but in the countryside. I came to Australia in May 1968 (aged 12) with my sister Carole and parents Doug and Joan. Dad was a bricklayer, then a builder, so that’s the trade I was pressed into. I thank him for dragging me to work with him; it has stood me in good stead. I have saved a lot of money in building my houses.
Presently I am living in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland with my lovely Chinese bride of six years, who is a wonderful artist in her own right. Previously I was a bricklayer for about 13 years; then I joined the New South Wales Police Force and performed many and varied duties. I rode a police motorcycle for over three years; I was the District Community Relations Officer in Broken Hill for a couple of years; I was in charge of the District Court Security at Campbelltown for a couple of years; and finally I worked as a Police Prosecutor, travelling the Western areas of New South Wales filling in for the permanent prosecutors … I really enjoyed that position as it allowed me to travel back to Broken Hill on many occasions.
After October 1998, I was pensioned off from the Police due to being ‘hurt on duty’ during an accident in a high speed pursuit, so now I am a pensioner. The good thing which came out of all of that was being able to pursue my lifelong passion: Art!
Artistically, I am passionate about the Australian Outback. I really love that laser-like light which is found ‘out bush’.
IMPORTANT MENTORS
I mentioned that I worked in Broken Hill. During a visit to the city in 1988, I had a chance introduction to Pro Hart and family and the next year (when I moved to Broken Hill) I looked up Pro and rented out one of his houses. It was the ‘dome house’ on the corner of Chloride and Thomas Streets. Pro and I became friends. He saw some potential in my drawings and gouaches and assisted me by selling my work in his gallery ‘The
