Press "Enter" to skip to content

We’ll miss you, Tim

Tim Jones’ funeral will be held  on Saturday 17, 1pm at Graham Family Funerals, 73 Risdon Road, New Town, to be followed by a gathering at The Lark Distillery in Hobart. Check PMA Facebook page for further details…

The thing which makes the death of Tim Jones all the more wrenching is that he seemed to be just so good at life.

tim_jones_JDS_2078_#1C038FB-(1)
Tim Jones. (Pic : John Swainston)

Successful over more than three decades as a retailer, yes. A generous and intelligent contributor to the industry in which he was a leader and innovator, yes. But much more than that. He maintained an enviable balance between taking things – life, himself, his business, the industry – sufficiently seriously to do good and sometimes great things, and seeing the bigger picture, the absurd side of the mad scramble we sometimes seem to be engaged in. It’s hard to imagine Tim ‘sweating the small stuff’. The way he handled himself in the aftermath of his recent shop fire was pure grace under pressure.

Targa Wrest Point, 2014. (Pic: Tim Jones)
Targa Wrest Point, 2014. Tim Jones is also mourned by the motor sports community, having been involved in Targa Tasmania since 1992. (Pic: Tim Jones)

So it’s not surprising he also had an unabashed relish for the good things in life – his LinkedIn listing included ‘good food’ and ‘red wine’ as among his interests, along with photography and golf. To that could be added ‘good company’. And Tim was invariably good company himself.

In my experience and observation of Tim Jones over 25 years or so, he was also an extraordinarily loyal man. (The term ‘fiercely loyal’ is tempting to use, but ‘Tim Jones’ and ‘fierce’ don’t really fit well.) Kodak Alaris business director Steve Nicholls called last week to ask that his and Kodak’s condolences be noted.

The public reaction to the tragic passing of Phil Hughes in December bears comparison with the more private reaction of people in the photo community – and beyond – to Tim’s equally sad death. Both men died suddenly and violently, and both died in the practice of their profession.

Both excelled at what they did but, judged at a long distance in the case of the Australian cricketer and a shorter one from Tim, didn’t allow themselves to get carried away with their own excellence. Both were team players and yet individualists. Because of all of the above, the loss of each of these men has truly shaken the community which had the privilege to share their company. Phil Hughes was more than just another accomplished cricket player. To those who knew him, Tim Jones was more than an accomplished photo retailer and photographer.

We will miss that ready, open, slightly cheeky smile and his dry sense of humour. The almost constant twinkle in the eye. Personally, I can hardly believe that those helpful and humorous emails and calls won’t be coming my way any more. And a day which included a chat with Tim was generally a good day.

I can only begin to imagine what his family and other loved ones must be going through…

Last Sydney-Hobart shot posted to Tim's Facebook page, December 27.
Last Sydney-Hobart shot posted to Tim’s Facebook page, December 27.

Vale, Tim Jones
From Peter Rose, PMA Australia:

It is with a very sad heart that we advise that one of our long-standing PMA members, Tim Jones, has been involved in a plane crash whilst photographing the Sydney-Hobart yacht race, creating images for the participating yachts.

Tim contributed in so many different areas – Targa Tasmania, Sydney-Hobart, Kodak Express, his publication, the Photo Marketing Association, golf, and appreciation of fine wines and his children. He was owner of Perfect Prints in Hobart and recently moved his store after a devastating fire. He was at the PMA Specialty Industry Conference in Manly in November, something he had done for many years and was looking forward to being involved in our Expo in Hobart next year. He has been a supporter of PMA in many ways, both as a State Chairperson for many years as well as contributing regularly to national issues. He was always innovative and willing to share his ideas.

From a personal perspective this is such awful news. Tim was a friend who was an integral part of the success of the Kodak Camera Centre program together with his good mates Dave Owen and Damien Ryan (known as the “three musketeers”). More recently Tim was instrumental in continuing his long association with Kodak in helping coordinate a successful marketing group in Tasmania that has assisted all in that area. He was also responsible for numerous memorable PMA activities in Tasmania including golf days, Christmas functions and social gatherings. He was for many years Mr PMA in Tassie.

There aren’t enough words except to say at 61 years of age, Tim still had a life to enjoy. He was a kind, helpful, generous and happy person with a sense of humour. He loved photography and had a large number of friends from his years in the industry. His passing will leave a huge hole that will not be filled. Our thoughts are with Chris and their family as well as those for the family of young pilot, Sam Langford.

It’s too early to know yet about any services for Tim. If you want to be involved, just contact our office on (02) 9686 3188 or email Barbara Bryan (bbryan@pmai.org) and information will be sent to you as it comes to hand.

 

One Comment

  1. Paul Curtis Paul Curtis January 11, 2015

    This is very sad news indeed. Tim did so much for the industry and was always generous with his knowledge.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Our Business Partners

Top