Born in Finley in 1943, the former Berrigan Shire councillor said he felt honoured and thankful to the people who nominated him.
“I just want to thank those people that thought me worthy of it,” Mr Jones said.
“Thank you for believing in me and having realised what I've done in the past.”
He chuckled, adding that some of his nominators haven’t known him for very long and would have had to “delve into the past to find out”.
It’s an extensive list, one which Mr Jones says all began when he became a founding member of Tocumwal Apex Club in 1984.
He was eventually made a life member of the organisation.
Community service is in Mr Jones’ blood.
“It's a family tradition,” he said.
“I first started in Apex when I was in my 20s, that's a long time ago, and I've been in things ever since. And I’m still in Rotary now.”
In 2020, Mr Jones was awarded Berrigan Shire Council Citizen of the Year for demonstrating his “outstanding service” to the local community over many years.
His voluntary involvement includes being a Tocumwal Rotary Club member since 2008, including serving as its vice president in 2021.
He was also awarded with the Paul Harris Fellowship in 2014 - Rotary’s most prestigious award - and a Paul Harris Sapphire in 2019.
Mr Jones has held numerous leadership positions and was the president of the Finley Primary School P & C Committee for seven years, the secretary of the United Farmers and Woolgrowers Association, a committee member and treasurer of the Tocumwal Football Club for 16 years, a foundation member and an office bearer of the Fullers Road Landcare Committee and an inaugural member and secretary of the Tocumwal Men’s Shed since 2012.
Although now “semi-retired”, Mr Jones was deeply involved in water matters and previously chaired the Central Murray County Council and the Tocumwal Community Development Committee.
He was a council representative member for the Murray Darling Association and was a member of the Murray Land and Water Management for 12 years.
Mr Jones’ OAM also cited his work in local government, as a councillor on Berrigan Shire from 2008 to 2021.
"I didn't get on the council until I was 65," he said.
"One of my highlights was being a shire councillor ... that was a great experience."
While the formal OAM investiture ceremony is yet to be held, Berrigan Shire made sure to mark Mr Jones’ achievements at Thursday’s Australia Day ceremony in Finley.
The OAM recipient said “all of his family” were there by his side at the ceremony, including his son, daughter and daughter-in-law who had travelled from Melbourne for the special occasion.
But the announcement wasn’t a surprise, Mr Jones says.
He had received an official email about being selected as an OAM recipient prior.
A friend and former shire councillor, who Mr Jones said he suspects was one of his nominators, called him and asked if he was going to the council’s Australia Day celebrations.
“I said ‘I think I've got to go over there, but I can't tell you anything’, and he said ‘well I know that, and I can't tell you anything’,” Mr Jones said.
“It's got to be a secret before the day.
“I knew I was in line for it and, apparently, it's been about 18 months since I was first nominated.”
Mr Jones is quite familiar with the nomination process, having nominated his friend Bob Brown previously.
Mr Brown was honoured with an OAM last year for ''service to the community through history preservation organisations''.
“But the whole thing was when I read through the nomination form, I saw at the bottom that it might take two years.
“He (Bob) was 90 then, and I thought he might not make it,” Mr Jones joked.
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