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Sir John Lavington Bonython (10 September 1875 – 6 November 1960) was a prominent public figure in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, known for his work in journalism, business and politics. In association with his father, he became involved in the management of newspapers including ''
The Advertiser''; he also served as editor of ''The Saturday Express'' and as a journalist. After ''The Advertiser'' was sold in 1929 and converted to a public company, he became a director, and for a time vice-chairman; an association that continued until his death. In 1901 he began a long association with the
Adelaide City Council
The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia and is legally defined as the capital city of Sout ...
, serving as
Mayor of Adelaide (1911–1913) and later as
Lord Mayor of Adelaide (1927–1930). He was knighted in 1935.
[W. B. Pitcher]
Bonython, Sir John Lavington (1875 - 1960)
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 341-342. The now removed Lavington Bonython Fountain on North Terrace was erected in front of the SA Museum in his honour.
Biography
Born in Adelaide on 10 September 1875, John Lavington Bonython was the eldest son of Sir
John Langdon Bonython
Sir John Langdon Bonython (;Charles Earle Funk, ''What's the Name, Please?'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1936). 15 October 184822 October 1939) was an Australian editor, newspaper proprietor, philanthropist, journalist and politician who served a ...
[W. B. Pitcher]
Bonython, Sir John Langdon (1848 - 1939)
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 339-341. and his wife Mary Louise Fredericka, née Balthasar.
[ He attended ]Prince Alfred College
, motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure
, established = 1869
, type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding
, headmaster = David Roberts
, chaplain = Reverend ...
in Adelaide, and joined '' The Advertiser'' in 1896. During his time with newspapers, he worked on ''The Advertiser'', ''Chronicle
A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...
'' and the ''Express
Express or EXPRESS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn
* '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid
Music
* ''Express'' ...
'', serving as the editor of the ''Saturday Express'' between 1912 and 1930.[
Lavington Bonython became directly involved with the ]Adelaide City Council
The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia and is legally defined as the capital city of Sout ...
when he was elected as a councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
in 1901. He became an alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
in 1907, served as Mayor (1912-1913), and as Lord Mayor (1928-1930). His appointment in 1912 made Bonython the second youngest person to serve as Adelaide's Mayor, and during his time with the council he was noted for his focus on Adelaide's heritage.[ For much of his period as acting mayor and mayor he was a widower, and his sister, Mrs. H. A. Parsons, performed the role of Mayoress at official functions.
He was ]knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
in 1935.
Amongst his other activities were a number of positions on company boards, including the Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
, Municipal Tramways Trust
The Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT) was established by the Government of South Australia in December 1906 to purchase all of the horse-drawn tramways in Adelaide, Australia. The Trust subsequently also ran petrol and diesel buses and electric t ...
, and serving as a director and Vice-Chairman of ''The Advertiser''. In particular, Lavington Bonython was a member of the inaugural board for Minda Inc
Minda Incorporated, established in 1898, provides support to children and adults with disability in Adelaide, South Australia and is the largest non-Government disability support organisation in the state.
The not-for-profit organisation offers ...
, remaining with the organisation for 62 years.[
Lavington Bonython died on 6 November 1960.][
]
Family
John Lavington Bonython married twice, in total producing six children.
Blanche Ada Bray
On 16 April 1904 he married Blanche Ada Bray, born on 10 November 1881 in Adelaide, only daughter of Sir John Cox Bray
Sir John Cox Bray (31 May 1842 – 13 June 1894) was a prominent South Australian politician and the first native-born Premier of South Australia (1881–1884).
Early life and education
John Cox Bray was born in East Adelaide, a son of Tom C ...
and Alice Maude Hornabrook, by whom he had a son and two daughters (John, Elizabeth and Ada). She died in childbirth on 5 November 1908, aged 26.[Richard Carruthers, Family tree, Richard Carruthers in unknown series (n.p.: n.pub., 1986).]
* John Langdon Bonython
Sir John Langdon Bonython (;Charles Earle Funk, ''What's the Name, Please?'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1936). 15 October 184822 October 1939) was an Australian editor, newspaper proprietor, philanthropist, journalist and politician who served a ...
AO (1905-1992) was born on 13 January 1905 in Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. He studied at the University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
, and became a solicitor in 1930.[John Langdon Bonython]
cyberzone.com On 18 March 1954, he became the founding Chairman of the first board of directors of Santos. Port Bonython
Port Bonython is the location of a deepwater port, gas fractionation plant and diesel storage facility west of Point Lowly in the Upper Spencer Gulf region of South Australia. It lies 16 km east-northeast of Whyalla, South Australia and app ...
was named in his honour.[Historical highlights]
, Santos.com John Langdon Bonython married Minnie Hope Rutherford in 1926 and had three children.[John Bonython AO (b. 1905) of Santos Oil]
rootsweb.com
*Elizabeth (Betty) Hornabrook Bonython CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(1907-2008), later Lady Wilson, was born 25 January 1907 in Adelaide. In 1930 she married lawyer Keith Wilson, who became a prominent South Australian politician. (Wilson was senator for South Australia (1938-1944) and federal member for Sturt (1949-1954, 1955-1966). He was knighted on 1 January 1966.) Their son Ian
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a lawyer, and then member for Sturt for 20 years. Betty was very active in community affairs, and served on the boards of a number of organisations.[ In recognition of her activities she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (]MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
) in 1946, and a Commander of the Order (CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
) in 1959. She turned 100 years old on 25 January 2007, and died on 25 September 2008, aged 101.
*Ada Bray Bonython (1908-1965) married Denis Heath in 1930 and the couple moved to England. Ada briefly visited Adelaide in 1951, bringing Jannette, then aged 17, the eldest of her three children. She had two younger children, a boy and a girl.
Jean, Lady Bonython
Four years later, on 11 December 1912, Lavington Bonython married 21-year-old Constance Jean Warren,[Joyce Gibberd]
Bonython, Constance Jean (1891 - 1977)
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13, Melbourne University Press, 1993, pp 215-216. (later Lady Bonython OBE), with whom he had three children, Warren, Katherine and Kym. Lavington was Mayor of Adelaide at the time, and Jean was widely referred to as "the Baby Mayoress".[ She was amazingly active and on dozens of committees too numerous to mention here. She had a major stroke in 1970, and in the period between then and her death in 1977, her son Warren wrote her biography: "I'm no lady : the reminiscences of Constance Jean, Lady Bonython, O.B.E. 1891-1977", edited by C. Warren Bonython, Issued in progressive chapter-instalments 1976–1981.
*Charles ]Warren Bonython
Charles Warren Bonython, AO (11 September 1916 – 2 April 2012) was an Australian conservationist, explorer, author, and chemical engineer. A keen bushwalker, he is perhaps best known for his role, spanning many years, of working towards ...
AO (1916–2012) was a conservationist, author and, before he retired from business in 1966, a chemical engineer. He is best known for his role in the creation of the Heysen Trail
The Heysen Trail is a long distance walking trail in South Australia. It runs from Parachilna Gorge, in the Flinders Ranges via the Adelaide Hills to Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula and is approximately in length.
Route summary
From no ...
, but has made many significant contributions to the conservation of the arid regions of South Australia. He married Cynthia Eyres Young (born 1921) at the Church of the Epiphany, Crafers, on 12 April 1941.
*Katherine Downer Bonython (born 1918) married Colin Clark Verco in 1940, with the couple presenting Lavington Bonython with three granddaughters.
*Hugh Reskymer (Kym) Bonython AC DFC AFC (KStJ) (15 September 192019 March 2011) lived an active and varied life, fulfilling a wide range of roles, including working as an ABC Radio broadcaster (1937-1938), RAAF pilot during the Second World War ( DFC and AFC), running art galleries in both Sydney and Adelaide, being a strong advocate for the monarchy (representing South Australia as a delegate at the 1998 Constitutional Convention), and serving as a company director and board member on numerous boards. He was also an art dealer, an author of numerous art books and a novel, a jazz entrepreneur, long time promoter of the Rowley Park Speedway
Rowley Park Speedway
is a former dirt track racing venue that was located on Torrens Road in Brompton, South Australia and supplanted the Kilburn speedway (1946–1951) on Churchill Road, and the earlier Camden motordrome (1935– ...
(1954–73) in Adelaide and a regular driver of Speedcars, proprietor of a number of record shops, and a concert promoter. In the last role he brought many of the "jazz greats" to Adelaide, and played a major role in negotiating the addition of Adelaide to The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
1964 tour of Australia.
See also
* John Langdon Bonython#Family name - contains information about the family name and its history
* Bonython
References
External links
John Lavington Bonython, Mayor of Adelaide
a painting by the English born artist George A.J. Webb. c. 191
1887
c. 1890 - the residence of Sir William Milne at Mount Lofty. Later the property of Sir Lavington Bonython, and later still, of Kym Bonython Kym may refer to:
* River Kym, in Cambridgeshire, England
*Kym (singer) (born 1983), or Jin Sha, Chinese singer and actress
*Know Your Meme, an internet meme documentation blog
* Kpatili language's ISO 639 code
People with the given name
* Kym Bony ...
1905
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonython, John Lavington
1875 births
1960 deaths
Mayors and Lord Mayors of Adelaide
People educated at Prince Alfred College
Australian people of Cornish descent
Australian Knights Bachelor
Australian politicians awarded knighthoods
John Lavington