Lloyd Jones

Lloyd Lindsay Jones MBE (1916–2004), aviator, photographer, visionary, adventurer, was a member of 92 and 93 Beaufighter Squadrons during the Second World War. The first aviator to take aerial photographs of the magnificent rugged mountains and scenic lakes and beaches of Tasmania's south-west, he promoted tourism, conducted slide shows, and published booklets of coloured photographs that gained worldwide publicity for the south-west wilderness. For example, his dramatic close-up shots of Federation Peak highlighted the attractions of the Arthur Range.

Jones helped establish the Aero Club of Southern Tasmania and was its first instructor/manager. He dropped food for bushwalkers, reported on the positions of yachts in Sydney-Hobart races, and conducted air searches, and his legendary mercy flights, such as rescuing a sick child from Swan Island during treacherous gales, earned his MBE.

Further reading: Mercury, 1 September 2004; H Gee, The south west book, Melbourne, 1978.

Wayne Smith