Deadly Awards founder Gavin Jones has been found dead at his property in Goulburn.
47-year old Jones was believed to have been depressed after government funding cuts meant that the awards could not move forward.
Jones started Deadly Sounds radio show in 1993 and held the first Deadly Awards event in 1995. It was a celebration of the talents within the Australian aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.
The awards were originally focused on music but over the years expanded to include sport, entertainment, the arts, health, education and training in the Indigenous Australian community.
Vibe Australia announced the demise of the Deadly Awards yesterday. In a statement they said, “Since the early 1990s, we hope we have contributed greatly to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people all ages, particularly the young, to be their best with regard to education, employment, health and wellbeing, by providing clear and coherent information and showcasing positive role models, advancing the individual, the family, and the community”.
The Abbott Government is believed to have slashed $400,000 in funding for the awards which “will be directed to the Australian Government’s programs that deliver front line services from 1 July 2014.”
Vibe Australia have issued the following statement to honour Gavin Jones and announce his untimely death:
On Saturday morning, July 12th 2014, the managing director of Deadly Vibe, Gavin Jones, passed away in his hometown of Goulburn, New South Wales, at the age of 47.
Gavin was a respected and widely admired figure and leader of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, who worked tirelessly towards the advancement and health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Gavin was born on the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal and Gundungurra peoples at Goulburn, in southern New South Wales. While he grew up in the provincial town between Sydney and Canberra, the family’s roots were in Bigga, Binda, Crookwell and Tuena. He was raised by his mother, father and grandmother, along with his three sisters.
After finishing school, Gavin started a journalism cadetship at the Goulburn Post newspaper before completing a communications degree at the University of Canberra in 1989. He then began working in journalism across various Government departments.
The company he founded in 1993, Deadly Vibe, forged new ground in its holistic approach to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advancement. Gavin’s vision and mission for Deadly Vibe was to: ‘Support all Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people in reaching their full potential by providing positive imagery, identifiable role models and quality media to improve community and quality of life.’
