George Jones AM

Businessman and fundraiser

2012 WA Senior Australian of the Year

When a tragic plane crash in West Africa killed the entire board of mining company Sundance Resources in 2009, ex-chair George Jones didn’t hesitate to step back in. Although he had previously retired due to ill health, George felt a responsibility to guide the organisation through its crisis, rebuilding the board and caring for the families of his former colleagues. While his success as a businessman is well known, it is his unstinting work with charities and the not-for-profit sector that makes him a community champion. George lived at Parkerville Children's Home as a boy and is now a Parkerville Board member and a strong supporter of the recently opened George Jones Child Advocacy Centre. A prolific fundraiser, George was instrumental in securing funds for the centre and has raised more than $16 million for the Ear Science Institute of Australia, for a world-class medical research and clinical facility to treat hearing loss, balance disorders and ear disease.  As a sufferer of Meniere’s disease, an inner ear disorder that affects hearing and balance, George understands how debilitating such conditions can be. His determination to help rebuild Sundance Resources and his dedicated charity and fundraising work are a testament to George’s selflessness.