George Mackley, a master craftsman of wood engraving who had trained as a teacher of art at Goldsmiths’ College, London, was the enlightened headmaster.
The property and bush camp named Jowalbinna were leased to Percy Trezise, who began exploring and recording the Quinkan rock art in the 1960s; it was finally inscribed on the Australian National Heritage List in 2018.
Another significant painting named ‘Gilgai Gibber Plains’ (1994) was shortlisted for the Wynne Prize in 1997 and donated to the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales by the estate of Roy Jackson in 2015.
Jackson was a finalist for the Wynne Prize on numerous other occasions (1990: ‘Small house bright land’, 1998: ‘Jump-up country’, 2000: ‘Ewaninga’, 2001: ‘Desert moon’, 2002: ‘Upper Macleay’, 2003: ‘Line- Along Line’).
Jackson was also a finalist for the Sir John Sulman Prize on four occasions (1996: ‘Turning stones into stars’, 1998: ‘Beachcombing near Cooktown’, 2003: ‘Inch time foot gem’, 2007: ‘Blue note’).
In England, Jackson had solo exhibitions in two northern regional art centres, Queen's Hall, Hexham and The Customs House, South Shields in 2001.
Jackson had a retrospective exhibition at the Australian National University Drill Hall Gallery which opened in 2013, shortly after his premature death from cancer.