Dr. Tony Jones MBE – OVMRO – RIP

Dr. Tony Jones MBE

It is with great sadness we have to announce the passing of  Dr. Tony Jones MBE one of the founder members of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation. For many years he also served on regional and national bodies and was chair of North Wales Mountain Rescue Association until 2013. He was also a member of the UK Search and Rescue Operators Group, chairman of the Medical Group, secretary of the Inland Consultative Committee and chairman of the Communications Working Group and attended the Maritime and Aviation Consultative Committee, since their inception in 2000.

Tony Jones

There can be few, if any, members of an RAF Mountain Rescue Team who exercised in Wales in the last fifty years who have not met Tony. He was a larger than life character who dedicated his life to advancement of all aspects of Mountain Rescue.

Tony was an Associate member of the RAFMRA and in recent years, although suffering from ill health, he took on the onerous task of transcribing Team Diaries for publication on this website.

He passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning on the 6th May in hospital at the age of 77. He had been diagnosed with cancer last year.

Our condolences go out to his family.

RIP

Oggie + RAFMRS

 

Funeral arrangements

Message from Peter Price- Executor
Please accept my apologies that I am not able to respond to you all individually. Please do not reply to this email directly, but see below. Due to the size of the mailing list we have encountered difficulties getting these messages out to you. I am now in a position to advise you that the funeral of Dr ASG (Tony) Jones, MBE. will take place on Thursday 26th May at Bangor Cathedral at 10.30 am. This will be followed by Private Cremation at Bangor Crematorium at 12 Noon. Family flowers only please. Please be aware of the restricted car parking facilities in the vicinity of the Cathedral. Please also bring a photograph(s) of your memory of Tony and leave your contact details with it; you can also send me JPEG or PDF files of them – please address these to willuk.price@gmail.com with the subject heading “Dr ASG Jones”.
We have someone who will write a book about his outstanding career and his life and your contributions may help the writing of the book.
Any contributions or donations to Gareth Williams Undertaker and these will form part of a larger donation to the Nepalese ‘Reach out for Nepal’ charity to reconstruct a local school which was completely destroyed.
You are all invited and are requested to attend after the service at the Siabod Café in Capel Curig.
Peter Price Executor and POA to Dr ASG (Tony) Jones MBE

RAFMRA Contribution

Brian Canfer RAF MRA Chairman has a 5-minute only window as part of the Eulogy. All RAF MR inputs welcome, however I am sure you will appreciate it will not be possible to include all inputs received in 5 minutes. Inputs to Brian please, email address; brican@talktalk.net

Tributes

A tribute to Tony from the Daily Post can be viewed here

The following tribute was paid to him on the Grough website on his retirement. The website can be accessed here

North Wales mountain rescue stalwart Tony Jones honoured on retirement

Tony Jones receives gifts from colleagues

Tony Jones receives gifts from colleagues

A stalwart of mountain rescue in north Wales has been honoured after his retirement.

Dr Tony Jones has stepped down as chair of North Wales Mountain Rescue Association, the umbrella organisation for teams in the area.

He is a former member of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation and was made an honorary life member of the team in 1998.

Search and rescue volunteers and emergency service professionals from across the region came together recently to mark Dr Jones’s retirement.

Among gifts received was a framed citation presented by Ian Shannon, Deputy Chief Constable of North Wales Police, in recognition of his work both in active and supportive roles for mountain rescue.

He first became involved in mountain rescue in South Africa in 1954 and retired as chair of the North Wales Mountain Rescue Association in March.

DCC Shannon said: “Tony is held in high regard by colleagues. He has been a member of the UK Search and Rescue Operators Group, chairman of the Medical Group, secretary of the Inland Consultative Committee and chairman of the Communications Working Group and attended the Maritime and Aviation Consultative Committee, since their inception in 2000.

“No one else has given so much of their life and commitment to volunteering as a rescuer, a team leader and executive officer.

“It was with the utmost pleasure that on behalf of North Wales Police and the many locals and visitors who have been rescued by him, I was able to personally thank Tony for his outstanding service.”

Gifts were also presented by the Coastguard and other members of the association.

Dr Jones’s mountaineering career has taken him all over the world, involved him in over 900 rescues, won him many accolades, including the MBE and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and made him the subject of a This is Your Life programme in 1993.

His search and rescue operations have been carried out in Wales, Western Cape, South Africa, England, Scotland, Norway, Austria, New Mexico and Washington State.

A geologist by profession, Dr Jones came to Wales to undertake a PhD in the 1960s and has lived in the area since then. He came to work at the Marine Science Laboratory, Bangor University, a move which enabled him to merge his work and lifelong love of the mountains.

DCC Shannon presents the citation to Dr Jones

DCC Shannon presents the citation to Dr Jones

He said: “I have always been part of a team. I have been involved in over 900 search and rescue operations, but I didn’t do any of it alone. It is critical in these circumstances to work as part of the team,”

Dr Jones said the volunteer teams were called on to help more often now. “An increase in the use of the hills results in an increase in incidents, which are creeping up each year,” he said.

“But when you look at the relationship between the increase and footfall there is no significant increase in the percentage of incidents.

“It equates to more use, more callouts.

“Mountain rescue is also a victim of its own success: the teams get callouts to non-mountain related incidents such as flooding. So the range of work has increased as well which contributes to callouts.

“Also before mobile phones if there was an accident someone would have to come down the mountain to get help.

“Mobiles speed up response, but also result in a number of parties not using their own initiative to get down.

“We’re also finding that many young people rely on technology. They have no fundamental skills, which is not always wise.”

Dr Jones, who remains an honorary member of the Search and Rescue Dog Association (Wales) and Mountain Rescue England and Wales, is currently transcribing the RAF Desert Rescue Diaries from the 1960s.

 

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