Biographical entry Bonney, Charles (1813 - 1897)

Summary

Charles Bonney arrived in Australia in 1834 and worked as a judge's clerk then cattle farmer. In 1853 he became the first mayor of Norwood, South Australia and three years later was appointed commissioner of crown lands. In 1857 Bonney was elected to the House of Assembly for East Torrens, but resigned from his seat within six months. He became chairman of directors of the Great Northern Mining Co., South Australia and in 1865 he re-entered politics being elected to the South Australian Legislative Council. Bonney later became general manager of the government railways and was regularly called upon to give expert evidence on mining, land and railways to parliamentary committees. On 5 January 1866 he and others patented the 'Invention and Improvements in the Art of Metallurgy'.

Published resources

Book Sections

• Gibbney, H. J., 'Bonney, Charles (1813-1897)', in Douglas Pike (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 3, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1969, pp. 188-190. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030180b.htm. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Bonney, Charles', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-599530. Details