In 2017, the State Electoral boundary of Bonney was drawn. It covers the suburbs of Labrador, Arundel, Parkwood, Southport north of Smith Street, The Surrounds, most of Biggera Waters, a little of Coombabah.
Bonney was named after one of the most adventurous Queenslanders - pioneering aviator Lores Bonney.
Lores was the first woman to circumnavigate Australia by air.
In 1931, she set a new Australian record for a one-day flight by a woman. In 1933, she was acknowledged as the first woman to fly from Australia to England, even modifying her plane’s engine herself. Her longest journey was in 1937, flying from Australia to South Africa. That was over 29,000 kilometres, with a flight time of 210 hours and 45 minutes.
No other female Australian pilot has ever matched her achievements and only a few men ever have. Despite this, the media would only write about her outfits and link her flights to her husband, taking away from her achievements.
In the 1950’s Lores addressed the media by saying,
“….the public never will have the same confidence in a woman at the control of the great airliners as they have in a man, I hope I am proven wrong”
Indeed, she was proven wrong. Now, women make up about 10 percent of Australia’s commercial pilot cohort.
After retiring from flying, Lores settled in Palm Beach where she died aged 96 in 1994. Through her remarkable journeys, she paved the way for women in more fields than just aviation.
How did our area end up being called Bonney?
Every few terms the boundaries of State Electorates change and in 2017 the Gold Coast needed a new one.
It ended up being this area with Biggera Waters, Labrador, Arundel, Parkwood, Chirn Park and a little bit of Coombabah. Bonney was chosen as the name in honour of Lores.
Parliament is our most important institution. To have a seat in it named after you is pretty special and it’s a fitting tribute to woman like Lores.
If you would like to learn more about Lores Bonney, have a read of this Australian Geographic article.