With over 150 years of weathering Sydney’s climate, the family memorial was in desperate need of attention.
Coordinated by Andrew Mander-Jones, David Jones’ great-great-grandson, the memorial has undergone significant heritage conservation work.
Now befitting the contributions he made for this country, the memorial was re-dedicated at a ceremony on May 24 – 183 years to the day after Welsh-born immigrant Jones opened his first premises on the corner of George and Barrack streets in Sydney’s CBD on May 24, 1838.
Conservation of the memorial has also meant that the stonemasons created maintenance works and repairs to ensure that the monument will tell the story of David Jones for generations to come.
“The restoration of the monument is the result of a project started by my late cousin, David Mander Jones, and supported with the generous help of many descendants,” Rookwood’s Interim CEO Lee Shearer said.
“Thanks to the skill of the conservation team, the monument is now in a much better state to resist the effects of weathering and can continue to be a fitting memorial to the founder of one of Australia’s best-known stores.”
The sandstone monument includes a draped urn, commemorating the David Jones family from Elizabeth Jones (d. 1865) through to Bernice Jocelyn Mander-Jones (d. 1983) and is now available for the public to visit and pay respects.
For more info, visit rookwoodcemetery.com.au.
David Jones memorial gets new lease of life
THE masonry was crumbling, the paint was peeling and the inscriptions barely legible at his Rookwood memorial in what was certainly a poor legacy to proud philanthropist David Jones who changed the face of retailing in Sydney.