Jonty is State's Young Australian of the Year
University of the Sunshine Coast business graduate Jonty Bush, 29, has been named Queensland’s Young Australian of the Year for 2009.
The courageous anti-violence campaigner received this award from Minister for Education, Training and the Arts Rod Welford recently in recognition of her work as CEO of the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group.
The citation for Jonty outlined her remarkable journey since her younger sister and her father were killed in separate incidents on the Sunshine Coast and at Gympie in 2000.
“It is a tribute to her strength and courage that she not only managed to keep going, but that she began to help others deal with their grief by becoming a volunteer with the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group,” the citation said.
“The compassion and understanding Jonty showed others brought her recognition among members of the police force and the legal fraternity and, at just 27, she was appointed CEO of the organisation.
“She has since led the push for a review of the laws surrounding murder and manslaughter and, as a result, the Queensland Law Reform Commission is now undertaking such a review.
“She also developed the One Punch Can Kill campaign, which has been adopted by the Queensland Government in an attempt to prevent further tragedies.”
Jonty, who worked in human resource management before joining the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group as a volunteer in 2003, said she had mixed feelings about receiving the prestigious award.
“It’s kind of bitter sweet for me, because my life took a completely different direction through having lost two people that I love,” she said. “It also has just hit me how far I’ve come since 2000 because, at that point, I’d lost all will to live.”
Jonty said her understanding of what her organisation’s clients were going through had helped her considerably, and she was particularly proud of the rapport she has established with Minister for Justice and Attorney General Kerry Shine and Police and Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence as a consultant on legal justice issues.
She said this link with the ministers had enabled her organisation to have important input into the planned overhaul of Queensland’s Victims Compensation Scheme.
Jonty said her USC Business degree had provided her with great skills to manage the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group.
“Charities really are businesses,” she said. “It’s often said that they are ‘not for profit’, but they are ‘not for loss’ either.”
“My business degree has helped in my capacity to manage the team, not just the five staff but 120 volunteers as well, which is a completely different challenge in itself.”
Jonty said her business background also came to the fore in budgeting, marketing, business planning, strategic planning and succession planning and understanding business law.
As Queensland’s Young Australian of the Year, Jonty will attend a televised ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on January 25 where the national Australian of the Year awards will be announced.
— Terry Walsh