Bridge named for former Herbert MP Ewen Jones
A federal MP known for his wit, warmth and a fiery confrontation with Clive Palmer in the halls of parliament, has been immortalised by the city he loved.
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A federal MP known for his wit, warmth and for confronting Clive Palmer in the halls of parliament will leave a permanent mark on Townsville after having a bridge named after him.
Ewen Jones, who served two terms as Herbert’s representative from 2010 to 2016, tragically died in 2023 after a battle with a cancer.
Formerly an auctioneer and businessman before moving into politics, Mr Jones was mourned by many across the political divide at the time of his passing, and has now been recognised with the renaming of the Louisa Creek bridge.
The bridge, which spans part of Blakey’s Crossing, was upgraded as part of works that Mr Jones pushed for during his time in office.
Mr Jones’ daughter, Abbie, said her family were touched by the gesture.
“It’s a huge honour - he cared so deeply about Townsville and our community and floodproofing this area of town,” Abbie said.
“To see his legacy living on and having this honour is just tremendous for our family, it’s really touching that the city’s chosen to do this for him.”
Abbie said she had ‘vivid memories’ of her father’s efforts to floodproof and improve infrastructure.
“That was one of the first things he wanted - he used to work in the industrial area just past here and whenever it rained, he couldn’t get into work, so that was item number one he wanted to tackle when he got into office,” Abbie said.
“He was very proud and pleased that he was able to secure funding to get help in this area.”
She said that representing North Queensland and the seat of Herbert ‘meant everything’ to her dad.
“He moved to the city in the 90s and raised all of his children here. Being able to represent this place in parliament was just the cherry on top for him. He loved Townsville until the day he died.”
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Originally published as Bridge named for former Herbert MP Ewen Jones
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