50 years on, the legacy of Brian Jones remains at the heart of his family’s identity

This year ANZAC Day will have more meaning than most years Trish Jones and her son Jason, marking 50 years since the passing of their husband and father Brian in the Vietnam War.

THIS year Anzac Day will have more meaning than most years for Trish Jones and her son Jason, marking 50 years since the passing of their husband and father Brian in the Vietnam War.

Families like theirs who have been impacted by the various wars and conflicts are often helped through their adversity by the Legacy organisation, with about 120 beneficiaries living in the NT.

Mr Jones said Legacy had helped make sure he was getting through school and life as a child after his father passed away, leaving him and his mother at the ages of just 18 months and 21 years.

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“They were very relevant when I was growing up, they supported me through the 80s and 90s as a young kid, it was fantastic,” he said.

“It was more support around activities and being invited with other legatees to do different things.

“They were activities where we went as a group to go and do abseiling … we were living in Perth at the time so out on the water we’d go out sailing … they just made sure that I was getting through schooling and just seeing how I was tracking the whole time and its still the same to this day.”

Mr Jones said Legacy had helped him recognise the sacrifice his father and others had made in the war and the legacy they left.

“It’s a celebration for people who represented in Australia and we’re very proud of that,” he said.

Legacy has historically looked after families of deceased ex-service people, like Jason Jones, his mother Trish and their family after their father was killed in Vietnam. Photograph: Che Chorley

“Mum dealt with that at the time because I was only a baby at the time but you look back and we’re proud of what my father achieved.”

With Legacy relying on public appeals for funding, this year they are launching their online donation platform, complete with a QR code, for their appeal period, running to April 23.

Ms Jones knows all to well the difficulty of unexpectedly losing a loved one on the front line.

“One minute he was there and the next he was gone … in my case, there was no counselling or anything available for me as a war widow, I was only a 21-year-old war widow and Jason was only 18 months old,” she said.

“Anzac Day is always significant and I think this year is even more so given it’s the 50th anniversary (of Brian’s passing) and he’s left the legacy through Jason and three grandchildren.”

Ms Jones said more and more support was becoming available for families of veterans and ex-service members but despite the announcement of a Royal Commission into Veterans suicide, there was still a long way to go.

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“I only wish that the other Diggers in Vietnam and the tragedies that happened to them, that they had some sort of program for them when they came back because there’s still lots of them who still haven’t fronted up to march on Anzac Day,” she said.

“Whether something significant will come out of this remains to be seen but we still hope that it will provide massive change for veteran services and it’s not just for the veterans themselves who have come back, it is for those families.”

To support Legacy, visit https://www.legacy.com.au/donate/

Originally published as 50 years on, the legacy of Brian Jones remains at the heart of his family’s identity