Rodney Fairfax Bonella (19 June 1937 – 2 April 2000) was an Australian

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

and

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

. He came third in the marathon event at the

1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth. The ...

Running career

Bonella attended

Scotch College, Melbourne (For God, for Country, and for Learning) , established = , type = Independent, day and boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Presbyterian , slogan = , ...

, where he ran the mile and half-mile events, and was also a cross-country runner. He was part of the school's 4 x 880 yard relay team that set an

Associated Public Schools of Victoria The Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS) are a group of eleven independent schools in Victoria, Australia, similar to the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales in New South Wales and the Public Schools Associ ...

(APS) record. In the 1960s, Bonella was trained by

Emil Zátopek Emil Zátopek (; 19 September 1922 – 21 November 2000) was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final m ...

, and trained alongside fellow Australian athletes

Ron Clarke Ronald William Clarke, AO, MBE (21 February 1937 – 17 June 2015) was an Australian athlete, writer, and the Mayor of the Gold Coast from 2004 to 2012. He was one of the best-known middle- and long-distance runners in the 1960s, notable for ...

Trevor Vincent Trevor Anthony Vincent, (born 27 April 1938) is a former Australian long-distance runner, specialising in the 3000 metres steeplechase. In 1962 he competed for his native country at the Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, winning t ...

and Tony Cook. In 1962, Bonella came second in the Australian National Marathon Championships, behind Keith Ollerenshaw. He was competing for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

state. Bonella was selected for the marathon event at the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Australia. He came third in the race, finishing in a time of 2:24:07. Bonella fell behind the leading two runners with to go in the race, and suffered with

dehydration In physiology, dehydration is a lack of total body water, with an accompanying disruption of metabolic processes. It occurs when free water loss exceeds free water intake, usually due to exercise, disease, or high environmental temperature. Mil ...

until the end of the race. In 1963, he competed in local

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

, one mile, three mile and six miles events. In 1965, Bonella won an APS Old Boys' cross-country event. Bonella retired from running in 1967, to focus on his horse training career.

Horse training career

Bonella started training horses in 1957, when he imported the horse Caynham from the United Kingdom. In 1965, Bonella bought Amourrou, a horse which had won the 1965 Churchill Stakes. Amourrou was the grandson of legendary American horse

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and ...

. Later in the year, Amourrou produced a foal that was the first horse born in Australia to be directly descended from Man o' War. In the 1970s, Bonella earned a licence to become a horse owner and trainer. From 1978 to 1984, Bonella took a break from horse racing, after one of his winning horses, Royal Amour, was badly injured. Rooster Hall, a horse trained by Bonella, won a 1994 race at

Sandown Racecourse Sandown Racecourse (also known as Ladbrokes Park due to naming rights) is a Thoroughbred horse racing race track administered by the Melbourne Racing Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is situated 25 kilometres south-east of the Melbourn ...

. Bonella's daughter Louise is also a horse trainer.

Death

Bonella died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on 2 April 2000, at the age of 62.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonella, Rod 1937 births 2000 deaths Australian male marathon runners Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Australian racehorse trainers Deaths from cancer in Victoria (Australia) Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics 20th-century Australian people Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games