A legacy of love and service
Ros Jones at the new Batchelor shed opening in 1990. (Credit: St John Ambulance)
A dedicated Seventh-day Adventist from the Northern Territory, Australia, has been posthumously awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for more than 45 years of service to her remote community.
Roslyn (Ros) Jones, who passed away in 2024, was recognised in the 2025 Australia Day Honours List for her outstanding contributions to community service.
She devoted nearly two decades to running the St John Ambulance service in Batchelor alongside her husband, Bruce, a fellow volunteer paramedic. Together, they responded to medical emergencies within a 100-kilometre radius of their home, providing life-saving care to those in need.
Before her ambulance service, Mrs Jones dedicated 30 years to education as the Batchelor school administrator. She was also instrumental in establishing the Coomalie Community Government Council in the 1990s, helping to shape local governance and community development.
Her deep faith was evident in her long-standing commitment to her local Adventist church, where she ran a Saturday morning children’s program (Sabbath school) for 35 years, welcoming and nurturing many Indigenous children.
According to ABC News, Mrs Jones’ faith was the driving force behind her lifelong service. Her daughter, Tracey, said, “She loved with an endearing love and an enduring love. She cared [and] she always put others first.”
