When she isn’t on a safari in the Serengeti, teaching typing in Nepal or adventuring across Antarctica, Gayle Jones finds herself back in her home town serving the Moose Jaw community.
Jones, 75, grew up in Moose Jaw, Sask., and she has spent her life working in service of the community that raised her, whether it be through teaching, volunteering or fundraising. Between her adventures around the world, she boils eggs for the homeless, plays piano for seniors, ushers patrons of the Mae Wilson theatre and presents stories of her adventures to eager audiences at the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery.
But despite crossing countries and continents, Jones wasn’t always an avid traveller.
“My mother’s cousins took freighters around the world, which you could do at the time in the ‘50s,” said Jones. “ … They went around the world twice doing that, and they used to send me postcards back, so we were following these two cousins around the world and it kind of piqued my interest.”
Jones started her career in 1972 as a physical education teacher in Moose Jaw, and after one year of teaching, she and a friend decided to backpack across Europe despite having only ever been as far as Vancouver, B.C.
“We went around Europe for six weeks,” said Jones. “Back then it didn’t seem as dangerous, although I don’t know why our parents let us head off at 21 and 22.”
That trip soon became one of many, although Jones doesn’t keep track.
“I don’t know the number because I don’t want to know the number,” said Jones. “It isn’t about how many you’ve been to, it’s more about going to the country.”
“You just learn so much about different people, and about where these countries are . . . I think you appreciate the news better, you pay more attention to the news because you know where these [countries] are,” said Jones. “. . . You have a little more empathy to other people from other countries because you know how they live.”
After four years of teaching high school, Jones moved to Fernie, B.C.
“I thought, ‘Oh, I’d like to learn how to ski,” said Jones. “So I went to Fernie. Turns out I was a terrible skier.”
Upon returning to Moose Jaw and taking a few typing classes, Jones was hired by Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
In the ‘90s when computer applications had gained popularity, Jones was sent to Nepal, Ghana and Vietnam to teach secretaries how to use word processing software.
From 1972 onwards, Jones travelled every summer, except for the first two years after her son was born.
“When he was about three, we went to Disneyland. And then Vancouver, and then I was dragging him off to the Galapagos and took him to Nepal with me when he was about ten or eleven,” said Jones. “I guess I really never quit once I started, but now that I’m retired, I can go twice a year instead of just the summer.”
Jones taught Office Education at Sask. Polytechnic for 30 years until retiring in 2010, but her love for travelling didn’t stop there.
Her most recent trip was to Malta, and she brings tales of her travels back to Moose Jaw where she recounts her adventures to eager listeners at the Moose Jaw art gallery.
“It’s a way of getting yourself organized about your trip and remembering it, putting pictures in the right order and documenting stuff,” said Jones.
Irene Zadnik, a long-time friend and co-worker of Jones, has been attending these presentations for over a decade.
“Talks like that are a great service to the community,” said Zadnik. “And in Moose Jaw, it seems we do have a crowd that is interested in travelling, or just interested in hearing about other peoples’ travels.”
“She knows the community well…Moose Jaw is fortunate to have people like her who are really interested in the community … and are so interested and willing to help out and volunteer and do things that make Moose Jaw a nice place to live.”
One of Jones’ most recent contributions to the community was her idea for the Friendly City Optimist Club’s “Name That Tune!” fundraiser.
Proceeds from the event were donated to Hunger in Moose Jaw and the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank. The club surpassed their fundraising goal of $2,000.
In 2014, Jones was awarded Moose Jaw’s “Citizen of the Year,” and in 2022, she was one of Moose Jaw’s 45 recipients of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal, which was awarded to members of the community that have shown significant dedication and contribution to their society.
The header image features Gayle Jones in Antarctica, 2019. Photo provided by Gayle Jones.
This article was edited and republished on April 1, 2026.
