David Jones never set out to be a trendsetter, but the electrician has made a name for himself in the construction industry.
“Thirty years ago it may have been a bit of a novelty I suppose to be a gay tradie,” says David.
The founder of David Jones Electricians has joined the likes of Senator Penny Wong in the list of Outstanding 50 LGBTI role models in Australia.
David set up his own electrical business after coming to terms with his sexuality.
“I like it when everybody’s happy, when clients are happy and the staff is happy.”
“I’m not perfect at it by any stretch of the imagination and I’m still working on myself and my personal growth,” he says. 
David has spent the last 28 years building a 24/7 business that specialises in domestic and commercial electrical work.
Electrician David Jones working with his employee Tyson O'Leary. Source: Supplied
His drive to create a supportive work environment stemmed from his own experiences and a feeling of intolerance in the workplace.
David was a young electrical apprentice working in construction when he was dealing with his sexuality.
“Coming to terms with being gay in the 1980s, I didn’t want to be gay and thought I could change it,” says David.
“So I said to myself, I’ll go and get help when I’m 19 and if I can’t, I’ll kill myself.
"But I never obviously went through with it and probably never came close.”
His struggle for acceptance become the catalyst for self-employment.
In 1990, he fixed up a 1967 VC Valiant station wagon that was dumped in his uncle’s paddock and began doing electrical jobs.
“That was really the start of my business and got more and more jobs through word of mouth.”
David would often go out on jobs with his dog, Ben, it was the start of a beautiful friendship,
“I’d never had a dog before. We were inseparable for 13 years".
As demand for the business grew, David began employing more electrical contractors and expanding his services to property and strata.
Electrician David Jones with his first dog Ben. Source: Supplied
Along with the challenge of running a business, David had to deal with personal adversity.
In 2003, his older brother Paul passed away, aged just 41 years old.
“We didn’t use the term HIV positive, it was AIDS and it was devastating,” he says.
Four years later, David had to cope with the sudden death of his former partner and the birth of his son, Jack.
“I was grieving from somebody passing who’d been very significant in my life and the very next day my son was born so that was a very strange space to be,” says David.
He hasn’t had a serious partner since.
“He meant everything to me,” David says.
David Jones former partner Michael. Source: Supplied
Dealing with the pain of loss, and joy of fatherhood has also helped David build a business that revolves around tolerance and empathy, as much as profit.
Tyson O'Leary has been working for David for almost 10 years and is approaching long-service leave.
“He’s a great boss, he loves to have a laugh,” says Tyson who was awarded best electrical apprentice by the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) in 2013.
However Tyson admits there’s the odd occasion, his boss does drive him crazy.
“Yeah he does a little bit but as any boss, he does within means,” he laughs.
David admits managing 20 staff can be challenging.
“I’m still working on myself and my personal growth.
“If I look back when I started 30 years ago, I was a very different person.”
After almost three decades of running a business, David’s next goal is setting up a franchise.
He hopes to continue the brand’s work philosophy of tolerance and acceptance.
David also hopes his journey will help others coming to terms with their identity.
His advice: “Just be honest to yourself and honest to others and don’t be ashamed of who you are.”
