'Jonesy' was introduced into the show as a Probationary Constable who had joined the police force in his late twenties in order to avenge the death of his biological father, Sam Bridges. Soon after joining the Mt. Thomas Station he became a prime suspect when Les Anderson, his biological father's former business partner and suspected killer was assaulted and left for dead; he was later cleared of all suspicion. He was known to come from a strong policing family having his half brother, Senior Detective Dylan Jones and adoptive father Commander Reg Jones also in the police force. His mother was assumed to be deceased although her death is never mentioned. He is the 8th longest-running character behind Tom Croydon, Chris Riley, P.J. Hasham, Maggie Doyle, Ben Stewart, Nick Schultz and Jo Parrish.
Character portrayal
Jones was a rebellious headstrong character who was often criticised for his non-team oriented ways and 'cowboy' nature. He also constantly found himself in trouble with senior officers from the moment he arrived in town, including Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon, who strongly disapproved of Jones' motives for joining the force in the first place and went on to continually question his choice of staying in the job, while Senior Constable and later Sergeant Ben Stewart never saw eye to eye with Jonesy and consistently butted heads with him. Later in the series he makes his way up to the rank of Senior Constable and after Senior Detective P.J. Hasham's departure in Season 12 he works closely with Detective Senior Constable Amy Fox and goes on to partner her after also becoming a Detective Senior Constable by the end of the season.
Personal life
Jonesy's chaotic love life is a constant complication for the character throughout his time on the show. From early on in his time in the series he develops an emotional and ambiguous relationship with his Sergeant Tess Gallagher. As she is his superior Tess is reluctant to entertain Jonesy’s romantic feelings towards her but is eventually so overwhelmed by her colleague's affection and her own feelings for him that she does briefly succumb and the pair kiss, she however reacts to this by immediately trying to put a stop to any future romantic relationship happening between the pair by eloping to Fiji with Doctor Josh Carmichael instead. After the breakdown of Tess' ultimately doomed marriage her subsequent pregnancy with Josh's child leads Jonesy to want to help support her and he asks her to marry him, but his proposal is declined as she wants to raise the child as a single parent. Later complications with Tess’ pregnancy then force her to leave Mt. Thomas, leading to an emotional goodbye to Jones. Senior Constable Susie Raynor's relationship with Jonesy provided more promise and even culminated in a successful marriage proposal. However his initial hesitation in starting a romantic relationship leads her to have two fleeting relationships with fellow police members, Sergeant Ben Stewart and Senior Constable Alex Kirby. The revelation of the latter with Jonesy's best mate Kirby causes her and Jonesy's eventual romantic relationship and short lived engagement to end. It is seen in the final episode of the series that Jonesy and Susie have managed to repair part of their once close friendship with each other.
