On 1st August Thirroul lost a great community-minded person. The long-time TVC member and former Secretary of the TVC, Murray Jones died unexpectedly. His passing will be keenly felt, not only by his family but by the wider community. Murray was the sixth generation of his family to live in Thirroul. Growing up in the area, Murray lived and breathed all things Thirroul and could be relied upon to provide a rich history of the village.
One such memory Murray had was of underground springs which were, and still remain, dotted around Thirroul. He recalled that at his childhood home on the corner of Fords Road and Phillip Street, a permanent spring slowly bubbled away in the midst of the foundations at a rate that remained constant during the heaviest rain or longest droughts. In the late 1950s, whilst attending Thirroul Primary School, he remembered that sections of the playground were edged with leaning and broken retaining walls that were affected by land slippage. On his walk to and from primary school, he passed empty twisted homes adjacent to the school, close to the corner of Phillip Street and Seafoam Avenue. These homes were so severely impacted by land slip due to the constant water flow that they had to be demolished. This section of Seafoam Avenue became a walking track.
With the development of south-western Sydney around Appin and Wilton, Murray identified that the beaches of Wollongong would attract an ever-growing number of visitors. He was concerned about the impact this would have on traffic flows down Bulli Pass and wrote of his concerns to the State Government and Council. Unfortunately, some of his concerns have been realised with increasing accidents on Bulli Pass, at times, resulting in fatalities.
Further to this Murray pushed strongly for an alternative route to and from Thirroul, and in July 2023 took the newly elected Member for Heathcote, Maryanne Stuart, on a tour of Thirroul pointing out potential access routes and missed opportunities. Murray was always willing to share his vast amount of information and knowledge with others. The TVC will endeavour to continue his action in this space.
Murray served as the Secretary of the TVC for nearly 20 years, dedicating himself tirelessly to numerous projects aimed at improving Thirroul. His unparalleled knowledge and expertise on all things Thirroul were invaluable. Even after stepping down from his role as Secretary, Murray continued to be an active and engaged member of the TVC. In fact, just before his untimely death he joined Councillors, Council staff, and current TVC Secretary, Annette Jones, on-site at WF Jackson Park to discuss the proposed skate park, of which he was a keen advocate. He shared his thoughts about the preferred location in his usual calm and thoughtful manner.
Murray was a true gentleman, and his absence will be deeply felt not only by his family, but by the TVC and the entire community. He always listened to people and worked tirelessly to make Thirroul a better place. For this we are all the better.
Thank you to a champion of Thirroul
The Illawarra Flame would also like to pay tribute to Murray Jones as an outstanding supporter of local news. During his two decades as TVC secretary, Murray also took on the role of citizen journalist, volunteering his time to produce measured and informative monthly reports, as well as insightful opinion pieces that drew on his deep knowledge and love of the region, including Bradfield and Beach Access and Is Thirroul built on a greasyback yet to be antagonised? He will be much missed.
