Leonie Jackson: Congo Beach death mum was Deaf Society CEO

The family of a mum who drowned while saving her son from a killer rip on the NSW south coast have spoken of her heroic final act and her final few hours surrounded by her loved ones.

Leonie Jackson with the father of her children, Alex Jones

A mother who died saving her son from a deadly rip at the weekend spent her final hours surrounded by family, celebrating her 50th birthday.

Leonie Jackson, a former CEO of the Deaf Society, drowned off Congo Beach on the NSW south coast on Sunday.

Alex Jones, the father of her two boys, has told of her magical final hours, surrounded by loved ones.

He told how the family had travelled down from Sydney to Congo to celebrate Leonie’s 50th birthday.

On Saturday and into the night she celebrated with friends and family and “laughed and laughed,” Mr Jones said.

Along with their two boys, Tobian, 13, and Byron, 9, the family gathered around the TV and watched a special birthday video made for her.

“What kept coming up,” Mr Jones said, “was how she was a leader to her family. She proved to her boys that they could do anything.”

Leonie “would move mountains for her family,” they wrote in a special birthday card.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Jones, who is also deaf, said they had met through deaf friends at Mardi Gras many years ago and were roommates on-and-off for 18 years.

Leonie had always mentioned not being able to find the right person to have kids with, he said.

Leonie Jackson died saving her son from a rip. Picture: Facebook

“I asked her one day, ‘do you want to have children?’ and she said she couldn’t think of any other man (she would want) to father her children”.

The pair had two boys and created a family unit along with Mr Jones’s partner Paul Harrison.

Leonie lived in Redfern while Mr Jones and Mr Harrison were over in Surry Hills.

The boys would divide their time between both homes and on a Sunday they would always gather for dinner.

“She was a wonderful hugger,” Mr Harrison said. Mr Jones added: “We were very lucky.”

He added that her final act to save her son was typical of her.

“She would do anything for her family,” he said.

She had been a hero to the boys since the boys were born.”

In a Facebook post, Mr Jones said: “Our boys are devastated as we are to learn she died a hero saving her children... Our sons do not have a mother anymore. There is a flip side to everything, Leonie always said it takes a village to raise a child - to raise our children.”

Born in Bundaberg, her parents moved to Brisbane for her schooling and then later moved to the Gold Coast.

She ended up in Sydney where for many years she worked at the Thomas Pattison School, one of the schools for the Royal Institute Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC).

Congo Beach, on the NSW South Coast, near where Leonie Jackson drowned (file photo). Picture: Google Maps/Edwin Gammon

She ended up as assistant principal at the North Rocks school.

She later moved to Ai-Media before becoming the first deaf CEO of the Deaf Society.

At the time of her death she was Executive Manager, Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships with the newly-merged Deaf Services and the Deaf Society.

She was also a director of the Benevolent Society, Games Organising Committee Chairperson of the 2022 Australian Deaf Games, and had more than 25 years of experience working for organisations with a deaf-focus.

In a Facebook tribute post, the Deaf Society heralded her as a huge proponent for change.

“Leonie was a family-minded, generous and patient person, and one of the strongest advocates for Australia’s deaf community in recent history,” the Deaf Society said.

“She was one of the pioneers of deaf education and bilingual teaching in Australia, an accomplished presenter and a dynamic community leader.”

Ms Jackson got caught in the rip at about 4.30pm on Sunday.

Surfers on a nearby cliff saw the pair in trouble and tried to save them. A witness performed CPR until NSW paramedics arrived but she died a short time later.

Deaf Services CEO Brett Casey paid tribute to her.

“It’s a very sad time for the community in Australia,” he said. “As a community, we have been rocked. A lot of staff members are grieving. Not only for their colleague but for a dear friend.

“It’s a very tragic loss, not just for the organisation but for the broader community here in Australia.

She has been remembered as a pioneer in the deaf community

“The deaf society is 100 years old as an organisation and in 2015, Leonie was the first deaf CEO appointed to the organisation. A very, very proud moment for her and her family.

“Her main aim as CEO was to remove any barriers from the hard of hearing community.”

Hundreds of people have paid tribute on social media to her tireless efforts to better the lives of the deaf community.

“Your influence has been amazing to different generations within the (deaf) community,” Auslan interpreter Sean Sweeney said. “You will be missed.”

David Brady, CEO of the Hear for You group, described her as a true leader.

“Leonie was a fantastic mother of two amazing boys. Her advocacy and work in the deafness sector in NSW and Australia have impacted millions of Australians.

“I will always remember her intellect, her alternate views and the soft smile ... She will be missed.”

Jo Toohey, CEO of The Benevolent Society, also paid tribute.

“We are extremely shocked and sad about the passing of our colleague Leonie Jackson,” she said.

“Leonie joined The Benevolent Society board last year and we consider ourselves so fortunate to have worked with her.

“She was an inspirational leader and a very generous person who gave selflessly to the Deaf community over the past 25 years.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to her family, friends and colleagues at Deaf Services and the Deaf Society during this incredibly difficult time. Leonie made such a positive impact in her career and life, she will be missed by many.”

Tony Abrahams, Ai-Media Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, also paid tribute to his former colleague and dear friend.

“The entire Ai-Media family is deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic death of Leonie Jackson, a co-founder and former executive who launched the company’s flagship live captioning product, Ai-Live, into schools, universities and workplaces in 2010.”

Leonie Jackson has been remembered as a family-minded, generous person. Picture: Facebook

He continued: “Leonie’s passion was to make the world accessible for all – a mission we continue every day.

“Leonie was also one of my very closest friends.

“Her heroic sacrifice – diving into a rip to save her son just one day after celebrating her 50th birthday – is a tragedy beyond words and speaks to the character of a woman and a leader whose life was lived in service to others.

“I am heartbroken, and I know Leonie will be terribly missed by the many thousands of lives she touched, who remember her energy, passion, talent and amazing sense of humour.

“Our deepest sympathies are with her boys, Tobian and Byron, and the rest of her family.”

A Facebook tribute page “In Memory of Leonie Jackson” was started in Ms Jackson’s honour. Friends and colleagues have been sharing their photos and memories of the mother of two on the page.

Cheryl McCarthy, Director of Lifesaving at Surf Life Saving on the Far South Coast, described the death as a “terrible, terrible tragedy” and said people travelling down the south coast were at a higher risk of misadventure when travelling to remote areas.

“It’s a challenge for us down here because we are very remote, so you have a high chance of being on a remote beach,” she said.

“Many holiday rentals and campgrounds are also on remote beaches.”

Ms McCarthy said when children were involved, it increased the chances of people jumping in to attempt to rescue them with the rate of bystander deaths in NSW “frighteningly high”.

“This incident is hard for everyone involved,” she said.

Macquarie Fields father Steven Mote drowned while trying to rescue family members near Wollongong. Picture: 9 News

In November last year, 41-year-old Macquarie Fields man Steven Mote died trying to rescue his 10-year-old son Kingston and his niece, after they were swept out to sea by a freak wave at Woonona Beach in the Illawarra.

Mr Mote died at the scene after bystanders used jet skis and surfboards to assist the group back to shore.

Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said the woman’s death is the third bystander in six months in NSW to die while trying to rescue someone caught in a rip.

He warned beachgoers in the lead up to Australia Day to swim between the red and yellow flags at patrolled beaches, and advised the use of a flotation device in any rescue situation.