William (Billy) Jones was an Aboriginal circus acrobat and equestrian performer and was one of the first Aboriginal people to be employed in Australian circuses. He began his career as an infant bareback rider in Henry Burton's company at Bathhurst in the early 1850s. Jones had also performed in John Jones's equestrain troupe in John Malcolm's circus in Sydney in 1852. It was John Jones's surname that William had adopted after spending most of his youth with his company.
Jones was known for his extraordinary versality, agility and accuracy, not only on tightrope, but also for his incredible speed performing somersaults. Jones still attained these highly versatile skills even during his advancing age and was still captivating audiences as late as 1896. In the early 1900s, Jones retired from his circus career, but did one last performance in 1905 with FitzGeralds' in Sydney. (Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography website; Australia Government website)
