John Joseph Jones, a cousin of Dylan Thomas, arrived in Western Australia in 1948. In 1959, he graduated from University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Anthropology and English, and winning the William Simpson Prize for English verse in his first year. He worked as as a journalist, teacher, editor and lecturer, and was a singer, musician and theatre director. Jones was a keen proponent of the development of an Australian idiom and an Australian ballad heritage, and gave two recitals of his ballads at the Adelaide Festival in 1964. Jones also designed, built and managed the Parkerville Amphitheatre, a 2000-seat outdoor complex near Perth. Jones was a President of the Fellowship of Australian Writers, Western Australia and wrote in the genres of drama, poetry, short stories, Australian Studies and theatre. -- excerpted from AustLit