Jonty Bush
Anti-violence activist and victim's advocate.
Profile
An accomplished speaker, Jonty has delivered numerous keynote addresses for corporate, community and public events.
Her personal story is absolutely unique, and her message of resilience, strength and post-traumatic growth will reach and impact every member of your audience. Jonty’s strength is her ability to converse with her audience, particularly around the sensitive topics of loss and hardship, with tact and warmth.
Current work
Jonty is currently an Ambassador for AngelHands and the Sunshine Coast Family Contact Centre. She is a board member of the Protect All Children Today Foundation, and in 2012 co-founded Project 24 to raise funds and increase the capacity of organisations responding to and preventing gendered-violence.
Jonty continues to travel Australia speaking with organisations, community groups, schools and collectives around the impact of violence, and how one person can make a difference, she is regularly quoted in print media, appears in radio and television programs, and has had a number of opinion pieces featured in print and online.
Previous experience
HR: Graduating with a Bachelor of Business from the University of Sunshine Coast, Jonty commenced a seven-year career in Human Resource Management including recruitment, learning and developing, training and policy development.
Homicide: Following the homicides of her 19 year-old sister and father, Jonty, aged 21, joined with the Queensland Homicide Victim Support Group (QHVSG) to support other families bereaved by violence and to raise awareness surrounding victim’s rights. Jonty has advocated for the rights of victims of violent crime for the past decade.
CEO: She was appointed as CEO of the QHVSG in 2007, and in 2009 was named Young Australian of the Year for her work including the development and promotion of the One Punch Can Kill anti-violence campaign.
Education: Jonty has since completed her Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice with Griffith University, was appointed to Queensland’s inaugural Sentencing Advisory Council, and has continued to work and support government and community organisations with anti-violence and crime prevention strategies.
Feedback
Jonty Bush delivers a compelling message, not only about her personal experience of loss, but the need for the community at all levels to take responsibility for reducing violence. Jonty has a lot of wisdom to share from her own personal experience, and the help she has extended to others through the Homicide Victims Support Group.
I was deeply moved by Jonty Bush's honest and conversational account of her life so far. A truly remarkable story from such a young person that gave me an insight into what drives her and motivates her to succeed.
I had the pleasure to meet and hear Jonty Bush speak at a memorial concert in honour of the son of a friend who died as a result of a terrible act of violence. Her relaxed and warm demeanour connected with the audience. In doing so her informative and touching contribution to the evening’s proceedings was greatly appreciated.
Jonty was an absolute pleasure to have at our International Women's Day Dinner. The women who attended thought she was inspiring to listen to and an inspiration for what she has achieved after experiencing so much trauma at such a young age. The young people Jonty spoke with were in awe of her story and appreciated the time she spent with them.
Jonty engrossed the audience with her strategies on how she used a very confronting experience and the energy that created to improve other peoples lives who had been dealt a similar blow. She is a very positive and articulate speaker and of course speaks with conviction and sincerity. Not an easy topic to discuss, however, she does it well and with full integrity.
