Kym Bonython
Encyclopedia
Hugh Reskymer "Kym" Bonython, AC, DFC
, AFC
(15 September 192019 March 2011) was a prominent and active member of Adelaide
society in Australia
, with a very wide range of interests, activities and achievements in the fields of business, the arts, entertainment and public service.
His occupations included radio broadcaster, pilot, speedway motorbike rider, speedway racing car driver, speedway promoter, hydroplane racer, author, concert promoter, art dealer, art promoter, art collector, jazz aficionado, jazz promoter, jazz collector, jazz musician, monarchist, euthanasia
advocate, company director, board member and numerous others.
and his second wife Lady Jean Bonython, née Constance Jean Warren. (Sir John's first wife died in childbirth, aged 26). He was named "Hugh Reskymer Bonython" after an ancestor who had served as High Sheriff of Cornwall
in 1619. Both his father, John Lavington Bonython, and his grandfather, John Langdon Bonython
, had been (amongst other things) editors of The Advertiser. His father had also served as a councillor, alderman, Mayor and Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide
. Kym was the youngest of six children; he had one half-brother (John Langdon Bonython (1905–1992)), two half-sisters (Lady Betty Wilson and Ada Heath), a brother (Charles Warren Bonython
) and a sister (Katherine Verco).
He attended St Peter's College, Adelaide
, and upon completion entered into accountancy on the recommendation of his older half-brother John. The Second World War interrupted this: in 1940 he began training as a pilot for the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF). Bonython served in the (then) Netherlands East Indies and New Guinea, experiencing several "death defying" near misses. He was in hospital in Darwin (with dengue fever) during the 1942 bombing - he had just evacuated and taken cover when the ward he had been in took a direct hit. During his time with the RAAF, Bonython filled the roles of aircraft captain in 1941, and chief flying instructor with the rank of squadron leader
in 1943. On 1 September 1944, Flight Lieutenant Bonython (Aus.280778) was awarded the Air Force Cross
(AFC), and on 22 February 1946, Squadron Leader Bonython AFC was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC)
When he returned from service he chose not to return to accounting, deciding on a very different career path. Initially he took up dairy farming
on his father's Mount Pleasant
property, but in the 1950s his career changed to incorporate music, the arts, and motor racing.
As a child Kym Bonython developed a passion for jazz
, and this influenced a number of his later pursuits. At the age of 17, in 1937, he entered the media with an ABC
radio jazz show. The show continued for 38 years, finishing in 1975. His involvement in the jazz scene also extended to making and selling music; in 1952 he became a member of a jazz band as drummer – a skill he had learned as a child – and he opened his first record store
in Bowman's Arcade on King William Street
in 1954. His passion for music also led him to create his own concert promotion company, Aztec Services, in the 1950s, and as a promoter he brought to Adelaide some of the greats of jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie
, Count Basie
, Dave Brubeck
, Duke Ellington
and Louis Armstrong
. Later, at the urging of his children, he expanded his range to rock and roll
, bringing the likes of Chuck Berry
to Adelaide, and he was one of the key people responsible for negotiating the addition of Adelaide to The Beatles
Australian tour 1964.
Along with music, Kym Bonython had a passion for art, and he began his collection in 1945. In 1961 he opened his first gallery, the Bonython Art Gallery in North Adelaide
, (which later became the Bonython Meadmore gallery), before moving to Sydney to open the Hungry Horse Gallery in Paddington
in 1966. His time with his Sydney gallery ended in 1976, and he returned to Adelaide to buy back his original gallery, operating it until 1983. From 1988 Bonython managed a Sydney gallery once more, managing the BMG Fine Art for a short time. Kym Bonython's eye for contemporary art saw his galleries promote many Australian and international artists, including Sidney Nolan
, Pro Hart
and William Dobell
, and he is widely acknowledged to have discovered and fostered the work of Brett Whiteley
. Along with the art galleries and his personal collection (much of which was destroyed when the Ash Wednesday
bushfires of 1983 engulfed his Mount Lofty
property, "Eurilla"), Bonython authored and published a number of art books.
Kym Bonython gained a reputation as a daredevil partially through another of his interests: motor racing. He raced Speedcars
at the Rowley Park Speedway
at Bowden
, which he also managed from 1954 to 1973. Bonython had some major crashes in Speedcars but also some success, winning the South Australian Championship twice. He didn't just compete at his own track. Bonython competed at venues such as the Sydney Showground Speedway
, Claremont Speedway
in Perth
and the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
(Ekka). At one stage he was the national hydroplane champion. His life in motor sports led to many accidents, the most serious being in 1956 when, racing to defend his Australian hydroplane title at Snowdens Beach, his boat crashed; the injuries that resulted led to Bonython spending the next 14 months on crutches. Amongst his achievements in motor sports was his work to bring Formula 1
to Adelaide
in 1985, in which he has been described as a "catalyst" for the event. His time in motor sports earned him the title of "the man with 99 lives" and, from Max Harris regarding Rowley Park, the "Cecil B. De Mille of Bowden". In his eighties, he was one of the inaugural inductees of Australia's Speedway Hall of Fame.
Bonython was also active in public life. He served on the Adelaide City Council, as had both his father and grandfather before him, and he was the chairman of the South Australian Jubilee 150 Board. Other boards of which he was a member included the Adelaide Festival of Arts
, Musica Viva Australia
and the Australia Council. Bonython was also one of Australia's leading monarchists, chairing the No Republic committee and serving as one of South Australia's delegates to the 1998 Constitutional Convention. Other causes to receive his active support included euthanasia
and compulsory national service
.
In 1979 he wrote an autobiography: "Ladies' Legs and Lemonade", Kym Bonython, Adelaide: Rigby, 1979.
Kym was married twice and had five children: Chris and Robyn from the first marriage, Tim, Michael and Nicole from the second. On his return from Milne Bay after the war he married Jean Adore Paine - they divorced in 1953. In 1957, while still on cruthes from his accident at Snowden's beach, he married former Miss South Australia Julianna McClure (Julie).
He died on 19 March 2011 at his home in North Adelaide
, aged 90. He passed away during the running of the Clipsal 500
while an F-18 flew overhead, reflecting both his love of motor sports and his time as an RAAF pilot.
He was survived by his wife, Julie, his five children, 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
. On 22 February 1946 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
.
In the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 1981, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), in recognition of service to the arts. (Both his brothers had also been given this honour the previous year.) In the Australia Day Honours of 26 January 1987, he was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Australia's highest civilian honour, "in recognition of service to the community, particularly as Chairman of the SA Jubilee 150 Board".
He was also appointed a Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John
(KStJ), and awarded an honorary Doctorate.
Other honours included a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Adelaide Critics Circle in 2007, and the Kym Bonython Fellowship, which provides support to up and coming visual artists and was named in his honour, and was first awarded by the Adelaide Festival Centre
in 2010.
_ribbon.png)
_ribbon.png)
Others
Copyright photos
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(15 September 192019 March 2011) was a prominent and active member of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
society in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, with a very wide range of interests, activities and achievements in the fields of business, the arts, entertainment and public service.
His occupations included radio broadcaster, pilot, speedway motorbike rider, speedway racing car driver, speedway promoter, hydroplane racer, author, concert promoter, art dealer, art promoter, art collector, jazz aficionado, jazz promoter, jazz collector, jazz musician, monarchist, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
advocate, company director, board member and numerous others.
Biography
"Kym" was born on 15 September 1920 in Adelaide, the youngest child of Sir John Lavington BonythonJohn Lavington Bonython
Sir John Lavington Bonython was a prominent public figure in Adelaide, 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...
and his second wife Lady Jean Bonython, née Constance Jean Warren. (Sir John's first wife died in childbirth, aged 26). He was named "Hugh Reskymer Bonython" after an ancestor who had served as High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
in 1619. Both his father, John Lavington Bonython, and his grandfather, John Langdon Bonython
John Langdon Bonython
-Early life:Bonython was born in London in 1848, the second son of George Langdon Bonython and Annie MacBain. The family migrated to South Australia in July 1854. There, Bonython was educated at the Brougham School in North Adelaide...
, had been (amongst other things) editors of The Advertiser. His father had also served as a councillor, alderman, Mayor and Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide
City of Adelaide
The City of Adelaide is a local government area in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia. It covers the original Adelaide city centre settlement, , North Adelaide, and the Adelaide Park Lands which surround North Adelaide and the city centre.Established in 1840, the organisation now...
. Kym was the youngest of six children; he had one half-brother (John Langdon Bonython (1905–1992)), two half-sisters (Lady Betty Wilson and Ada Heath), a brother (Charles Warren Bonython
Warren Bonython
Charles Warren Bonython AO is an Australian conservationist, explorer, author and chemical engineer. A keen bushwalker, he is perhaps best known for his role, spanning many years, working towards the promotion, planning and eventual creation of the Heysen Trail...
) and a sister (Katherine Verco).
He attended St Peter's College, Adelaide
St Peter's College, Adelaide
St Peter's College, , is an independent boy's school in the South Australian capital of Adelaide...
, and upon completion entered into accountancy on the recommendation of his older half-brother John. The Second World War interrupted this: in 1940 he began training as a pilot for the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF). Bonython served in the (then) Netherlands East Indies and New Guinea, experiencing several "death defying" near misses. He was in hospital in Darwin (with dengue fever) during the 1942 bombing - he had just evacuated and taken cover when the ward he had been in took a direct hit. During his time with the RAAF, Bonython filled the roles of aircraft captain in 1941, and chief flying instructor with the rank of squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
in 1943. On 1 September 1944, Flight Lieutenant Bonython (Aus.280778) was awarded the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(AFC), and on 22 February 1946, Squadron Leader Bonython AFC was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(DFC)
When he returned from service he chose not to return to accounting, deciding on a very different career path. Initially he took up dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
on his father's Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, South Australia
Mount Pleasant is a town situated at the northern end of the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 55 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide . It is located in the Barossa Council and Mid Murray Council local government areas, and is at an altitude of 440 metres above sea level...
property, but in the 1950s his career changed to incorporate music, the arts, and motor racing.
As a child Kym Bonython developed a passion for jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and this influenced a number of his later pursuits. At the age of 17, in 1937, he entered the media with an ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
radio jazz show. The show continued for 38 years, finishing in 1975. His involvement in the jazz scene also extended to making and selling music; in 1952 he became a member of a jazz band as drummer – a skill he had learned as a child – and he opened his first record store
Record shop
A record shop or record store is an outlet that sells recorded music. Although vinyl records and audio cassettes are no longer sold in the majority of music stores, in favour of compact discs and home video recordings products, people in some countries, like the UK, still use the term "record...
in Bowman's Arcade on King William Street
King William Street
King William Street may refer to:*King William Street, Adelaide - the central boulevard of Adelaide*King William Street - a street in Central Hamilton*King William Street - a street in London...
in 1954. His passion for music also led him to create his own concert promotion company, Aztec Services, in the 1950s, and as a promoter he brought to Adelaide some of the greats of jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. Later, at the urging of his children, he expanded his range to rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, bringing the likes of Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
to Adelaide, and he was one of the key people responsible for negotiating the addition of Adelaide to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
Australian tour 1964.
Along with music, Kym Bonython had a passion for art, and he began his collection in 1945. In 1961 he opened his first gallery, the Bonython Art Gallery in North Adelaide
North Adelaide
North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.-History:...
, (which later became the Bonython Meadmore gallery), before moving to Sydney to open the Hungry Horse Gallery in Paddington
Paddington, New South Wales
Paddington is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Paddington is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra...
in 1966. His time with his Sydney gallery ended in 1976, and he returned to Adelaide to buy back his original gallery, operating it until 1983. From 1988 Bonython managed a Sydney gallery once more, managing the BMG Fine Art for a short time. Kym Bonython's eye for contemporary art saw his galleries promote many Australian and international artists, including Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan
Sir Sidney Robert Nolan OM, AC was one of Australia's best-known painters and printmakers.-Early life:Nolan was born in Carlton, a suburb of Melbourne, on 22 April 1917. He was the eldest of four children. His family later moved to St Kilda. Nolan attended the Brighton Road State School and...
, Pro Hart
Pro Hart
Kevin Charles "Pro" Hart, MBE , born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, was considered the father of the Australian Outback painting movement and his works are widely admired for capturing the true spirit of the outback...
and William Dobell
William Dobell
Sir William Dobell, OBE was an Australian artist .The electoral Division of Dobell is named after him.- Life :...
, and he is widely acknowledged to have discovered and fostered the work of Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley, AO was an Australian artist. He is represented in the collections of all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner of the Archibald Prize...
. Along with the art galleries and his personal collection (much of which was destroyed when the Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday fires
The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983. Within twelve hours, more than 180 fires fanned by winds of up to 110 km per hour caused widespread destruction across the states...
bushfires of 1983 engulfed his Mount Lofty
Mount Lofty
Mount Lofty is the highest point in the Mount Lofty Ranges. It is located about 15km east of the centre of the city of Adelaide in South Australia and gives unrivalled panoramic views of the city and the Adelaide plains and foothills. It was first climbed by a European when explorer Collet Barker...
property, "Eurilla"), Bonython authored and published a number of art books.
Kym Bonython gained a reputation as a daredevil partially through another of his interests: motor racing. He raced Speedcars
Midget car racing
Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
at the Rowley Park Speedway
Rowley park speedway
Rowley Park Speedway is a former Dirt track racing venue that was located on Torrens Road in Brompton, South Australia, The speedway was named after Mr Enoch Procter Rowley, an English-born Dentist who moved to Adelaide from Kalgoorlie in 1908 where he had forged a reputation as being Western...
at Bowden
Bowden, South Australia
Bowden is an inner northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt.-History:The 'Village of Bowden' was established in 1839 by James Hurtle Fisher, who named it after his native village in Northamptonshire....
, which he also managed from 1954 to 1973. Bonython had some major crashes in Speedcars but also some success, winning the South Australian Championship twice. He didn't just compete at his own track. Bonython competed at venues such as the Sydney Showground Speedway
Sydney Showground Speedway
Sydney Showground Speedway, originally known as the Speedway Royal and later the Speedway Royale but often referred to as just The Royale or The Showground, was a dirt Dirt track racing venue at the old Sydney Showground used from 1926 until 1996....
, Claremont Speedway
Claremont Showgrounds
The Claremont Showgrounds were built in 1905 in the Perth suburb of Claremont. The Showgrounds are home to the annual Perth Royal Show. They were also the original home of Claremont-Cottesloe in its first year in the WAFL before moving to Claremont Oval....
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...
(Ekka). At one stage he was the national hydroplane champion. His life in motor sports led to many accidents, the most serious being in 1956 when, racing to defend his Australian hydroplane title at Snowdens Beach, his boat crashed; the injuries that resulted led to Bonython spending the next 14 months on crutches. Amongst his achievements in motor sports was his work to bring Formula 1
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
to Adelaide
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually and is held to be the pinnacle of motor racing in Australia. The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia having been held 76 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. Since 1985 the race has...
in 1985, in which he has been described as a "catalyst" for the event. His time in motor sports earned him the title of "the man with 99 lives" and, from Max Harris regarding Rowley Park, the "Cecil B. De Mille of Bowden". In his eighties, he was one of the inaugural inductees of Australia's Speedway Hall of Fame.
Bonython was also active in public life. He served on the Adelaide City Council, as had both his father and grandfather before him, and he was the chairman of the South Australian Jubilee 150 Board. Other boards of which he was a member included the Adelaide Festival of Arts
Adelaide Festival of Arts
The Adelaide Festival of Arts is an arts festival held biennially in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Although locally considered to be one of the world's greatest celebrations of the arts, that is internationally renowned and the pre-eminent cultural event in Australia, it is actually...
, Musica Viva Australia
Musica Viva Australia
Musica Viva Australia is the oldest independent performing arts organisation in Australia and the world's largest entrepreneur of chamber music. It was formed in 1945 in Sydney by violist Richard Goldner...
and the Australia Council. Bonython was also one of Australia's leading monarchists, chairing the No Republic committee and serving as one of South Australia's delegates to the 1998 Constitutional Convention. Other causes to receive his active support included euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
and compulsory national service
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
.
In 1979 he wrote an autobiography: "Ladies' Legs and Lemonade", Kym Bonython, Adelaide: Rigby, 1979.
Kym was married twice and had five children: Chris and Robyn from the first marriage, Tim, Michael and Nicole from the second. On his return from Milne Bay after the war he married Jean Adore Paine - they divorced in 1953. In 1957, while still on cruthes from his accident at Snowden's beach, he married former Miss South Australia Julianna McClure (Julie).
He died on 19 March 2011 at his home in North Adelaide
North Adelaide
North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.-History:...
, aged 90. He passed away during the running of the Clipsal 500
Adelaide 500
The Adelaide 500 is an annual motor racing event for V8 Supercars, held on the streets of the east end of Adelaide, South Australia on a shortened form of the Adelaide Street Circuit, the former Australian Grand Prix track...
while an F-18 flew overhead, reflecting both his love of motor sports and his time as an RAAF pilot.
He was survived by his wife, Julie, his five children, 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Publications
- Modern Australian Painting & Sculpture: A survey of Australian Art from 1950 to 1960, Rigby, Adelaide, 1960.
- Modern Australian Painting 1960-70, Rigby, Adelaide, 1970.
- Modern Australian Painting 1970-75, Rigby, Adelaide, 1976, Kym Bonython & Elwynn Lynn
- Modern Australian Painting 1975-80, Rigby, Adelaide, 1980.
- Modern Australian Painting 1950-75, Rigby, Adelaide, 1980.
- "Ladies' legs and Lemonade", Adelaide: Rigby, 1979.
Honours and awards
On 1 September 1944 he was awarded the Air Force CrossAir Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
. On 22 February 1946 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
.
In the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 1981, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), in recognition of service to the arts. (Both his brothers had also been given this honour the previous year.) In the Australia Day Honours of 26 January 1987, he was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Australia's highest civilian honour, "in recognition of service to the community, particularly as Chairman of the SA Jubilee 150 Board".
He was also appointed a Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
(KStJ), and awarded an honorary Doctorate.
Other honours included a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Adelaide Critics Circle in 2007, and the Kym Bonython Fellowship, which provides support to up and coming visual artists and was named in his honour, and was first awarded by the Adelaide Festival Centre
Adelaide Festival Centre
The Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first multi-purpose arts centre, was built in 1973 and opened three months before the Sydney Opera House. The Festival Centre is located approximately 50 metres north of the corner of North Terrace and King William Street, lying near the banks of the River...
in 2010.
| Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) | 1987 | |
| Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | 1981 | |
|
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against... (DFC) |
1946 |
|
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"... (AFC) |
1944 |
|
Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John Venerable Order of Saint John The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and... (KStJ) |
|
 |
1939-1945 Star | |
| Pacific Star Pacific Star The Pacific Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II. It was also awarded to certain foreign servicemen, such as Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz of the United States.-Entitlement:... |
||
 |
Defence Medal | |
 |
War Medal 1939-45 | |
 |
Australia Service Medal 1939-45 Australia Service Medal 1939-45 The Australia Service Medal 1939-45 recognises service by Australia's armed forces, Mercantile Marine and Volunteer Defence Corps during World War II.... |
Others
- 2007 - Lifetime Achievement Award by the Adelaide Critics Circle
- 2008 - Premier's Lifetime Achievement Award, 2008 Ruby Awards
- 2007 - Inaugural member, Australian Speedway Hall of Fame
- 2010 - Kym Bonython Fellowship named in his honour
External links
- http://www.rowleypark.com/ - Rowley Park Speedway ... "The place where champions gathered" - 21 Dec 1949 to 6 Apr 1979
- Kym Bonython, Episode 16, "Dimensions in time", Broadcast 27 May 2002, ABC. - Waiting on my hall table is the tapes for my funeral. As people walk out of the church, I've got Gerry Mulligan playing 'Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone'.
Copyright photos
- Painting of SqnLdr Bonython DFC AFC (Source)
- Kym Bonython portrait by John Brack, 1963: abc.net.au 23 August 2007: "Canberra's National Portrait Gallery has announced the acquisition of a unique John Brack portrait of the Adelaide entrepreneur and art collector, Kym Bonython." (Bigger version)
- Kym on a motor cycle
- Kym driving in a "Demolition Derby", ca.1960 (Source)
- Mrs Julie Bonython, 'The Australian Women's Weekly', 3 April 1974
- Opening Gillman raceway, 2006
- Darwin 1942 - Franck Gohier, (Source)
- Adelaide Now (2011) Kym Bonython's life in pictures, 20 March 2011, www.adelaidenow.com.au
