Throughout his life, Fairfax has served in a variety of roles within a large number of organisations.
[1] This includes serving as president of the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation, deputy chairman of the National Gallery of Australia, director of the Foundation of Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), council member of Australia Philanthropic Services, chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, deputy chancellor of the University of the Sunshine Coast and chairman of the University of the Sunshine Coast Foundation.
[2][3][1] He is a director of a number of other companies, including JH Fairfax & Son which owns agricultural properties throughout Queensland and New South Wales.
[5][6] Fairfax revealed in 2014 that he believes he suffered from undiagnosed mental health issues in the early 1970s during a downturn in the cattle market and was using that experience to encourage people in remote areas to access funding, made available by his foundation for a program run by the FRRR, to help their mental wellbeing during difficult times.
[11] His grandmother was Ruth Fairfax, the inaugural president of the Queensland Country Women's Association.